Media365
Star batter Virat Kohli leads a group of six Indian players selected for the ICC’s Champions Trophy‘s 12-member ‘Team of the Tournament’.
India clinched their third Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Their previous victories came in 2002 as joint winners and in 2013, with runner-up finishes in 2000 and 2017.
The Indian contingent in the team includes Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Varun Chakravarthy, and Mohammed Shami in the playing XI, while Axar Patel was designated as the 12th man.
New Zealand contributed four players to the team, including Player of the Tournament Rachin Ravindra. Mitchell Santner was appointed as the team captain.
Afghanistan marked their debut appearance with two players making the team after securing their first-ever ICC Men’s Champions Trophy victory.
Rachin Ravindra earned his opening position after leading the tournament’s run-scoring with 263 runs, including two centuries.
Ravindra’s performance included a crucial 112 against Bangladesh and a spectacular 108 in the semi-final against South Africa.
Ibrahim Zadran joined Ravindra as opener, with the 23-year-old Afghan setting a Champions Trophy record by scoring 177 against England in the group stage.
Kohli secured the number three position after accumulating 218 runs at an average of 54.50, finishing fifth in the tournament’s run-scoring charts.
His tournament highlights included an unbeaten century against Pakistan and a vital 84 in the semi-final victory over Australia.
The middle order features Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Iyer topped India’s run-scoring with 243 runs, including two half-centuries, while Rahul maintained an impressive average of 140.
New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips earned the number six spot with his all-round performance, including spectacular catches, a half-century against Pakistan, and crucial wickets against South Africa.
Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai demonstrated his all-round capabilities with seven wickets at an average of 20 and 126 runs at 42.00.
Captain Mitchell Santner claimed nine wickets throughout the tournament, with crucial dismissals in the final including Shubman Gill and Iyer.
Mohammed Shami made a successful comeback from injury, securing his place with nine wickets.
Matt Henry, despite missing the final due to a shoulder injury, finished as the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets at an average of 16.70.
Varun Chakravarthy completed the team selection, taking nine wickets in three matches while bowling his full quota in each game.
