Despite not making the playoffs in WPL 2025, Smriti Mandhana, the captain of 2024 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, stressed that she was happy with the character shown by the team in the tournament after they ended the season with a . Mandhana said losing a couple of close games cost the team a spot in the playoffs but lauded her players for sticking together even when things didn't go their way. "We were just having a joke post the match that we started the season on a high and ended it on a high. Midway we just lost somewhere. So, I think that pretty much sums up our season. But yeah I think having lost a lot of players from last season post the auction, definitely, we had a lot of thinking shoes on in between the auction and the season but the way we started, I really thought that we are in it. But yeah, I think in Bangalore a lot of things didn't go our way. But I'm really proud that the team showed character," said Mandhana. "Losing a lot of close matches is not easy on a team. And I think we lost...first two-three matches were pretty close for all of us. But everyone was really positive and even till the last match in Lucknow. Everyone was... we were really thinking that we have a chance and everyone wanted to really go out there and win it. Which is something I'm really pleased as a captain. You will or lose, sometimes in franchise cricket things go your way and you win it, but when it doesn't go your way and the team sticks together, that is a team for me." RCB began their campaign on a strong note with two consecutive wins, but a string of five straight losses - including four at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium - ultimately dashed their qualification hopes. The first two home losses were heartbreakingly close - Mumbai Indians secured victory with just one ball to spare, while UP Warriorz triumphed in a Super Over. Smriti Mandhana pinpointed these defeats as the turning point in RCB's derailed campaign but didn't want to blame anyone for that. "I think the first two matches we played at Bangalore. These (type of) matches last season, we ended up winning those ones. Sometimes you do a lot of things right and in the last two or three overs, things don't go your way. We won last year by winning those moments and this year, in the first two matches in Bangalore, we couldn't make those moments ours. Which I feel is a turning point for us, especially the first two matches. We were actually there in the game right till the 38th over of the match, felt it was our match and in the last two or three overs (the game turned). But that's cricket, it can happen, but I think those were the two matches which if we had won, we would be sitting at the top of the table. "I think looking back, I wouldn't want to throw anything under the bus saying that that would have changed it. We all together as a team, I feel we could have contributed a lot more. Me as a batter mid phase, I was not able to score a lot of runs. So I just feel that everyone has a part if you win or lose. So we all as a team will take that. I can't pinpoint one moment which changed a lot of things because that's the wrong thing to do. I just feel as a captain, the whole tournament we weren't able to win the moments in a way we wanted, and that's something which we will work on," added Mandhana.

West Indies, England, Zimbabwe Women and Pakistan Women will be touring Ireland in the summer this year, confirmed Cricket Ireland on Tuesday (March 11). The board also revealed that the Women's team would be playing against Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand and Scotland in the ODI World Cup qualifiers next month in Pakistan from April 4. The men's team will host West Indies for three ODIs scheduled to be held in Clontarf in late May which will then be followed by a three-match T20I series in June in Bready. Following the conclusion of the series, the Irish players will be involved in the European T20 Premier League in July-August after which England will be touring Ireland to play a bilateral T20I series in September for the first time. The Women's team will be involved in a series of T20 internationals, with five scheduled against Zimbabwe and three against Pakistan in July-August. Cricket Ireland also confirmed that Ireland Wolves will face Afghanistan A in a four-day match in the UAE which will then be followed by a one-day tri-series with Sri Lanka A being the third team. However, amidst this action-packed fixture list, the board also revealed that their planned series at home against Afghanistan will not go ahead. Ireland were scheduled to host Afghanistan in a multi-format series this year but those plans have been shelved. While the on the ICC to take action against Afghanistan, Cricket Ireland have insisted that they have cancelled the series for financial reasons only. "As we say: it's summer, it must be cricket. And this summer Irish fans will be able to enjoy some of the world's best cricketers playing on these shores," Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said. "On the men's side, we have West Indies and England here, while Pakistan's and Zimbabwe's women's sides will tour as well. "One planned series that won't go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan. This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board's mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation's strategic objectives."

Despite not being in contention for a place in the final three, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowed out of WPL 2025 in style with a spirited performance to deny Mumbai Indians a direct entry into the final. With a collective effort with both bat and ball, in the final league game of the season that sent Delhi Capitals to the final for the third straight year. As a result, MI will now face Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator. For a side that had to hunt down 200 for a place in the final, MI didn't get off to a desired start in the PowerPlay. Even though Hayley Matthews whipped one for a boundary first up and followed it up with three fours off an over from Ellyse Perry, MI's PowerPlay score was still underwhelming as Sneh Rana managed to dismiss both the openers to leave MI at 45 for 2 after the six over mark. Those two wickets meant the onus was now on the experienced pair of Nat Sciver-Brunt and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to revive the chase. Unfortunately for the home side, Kim Garth put an end to any such possibilities as Harmanpreet edged a leg-cutter behind to fall for an 18-ball 20. Nat Sciver-Brunt was the only MI batter to put up a fight as she continued to pick up boundaries at regular intervals to keep her side's fading hopes alive. After picking Heather Graham for a four and a six off back-to-back deliveries, Sciver-Brunt took on Rana and Perry as well to bring up another fifty this season which also took her tally beyond 400 - the first player in WPL history to do so. But with too much to do, she had no other choice other than consistently attempt to find the ropes and in that process, she top-edged a delivery and departed, leaving her side needing 71 from 31. Rana's night became better as she finished her spell with the wicket of Yastika Bhatia as MI were now sinking rapidly. The chase appeared to fizzle out by this time with RCB continuously picking wickets at the death. However, with the tail also chipping in with boundaries, Sajeevan Sajana gave the bowling side a mild scare in the last over despite MI needing 28 for the win. Perry's torrid evening with the ball saw her bowl two wides and concede two sixes that brought the equation down to 12 off 3. But the Australian all-rounder managed to recover as she ensured MI didn't add to their tally at all from the final three deliveries. Earlier in the evening, it was a powerful finish that led to RCB posting a strong 199 on the board. Having scored only 28 runs in her last four games, Smriti Mandhana turned up in style as she gave RCB a flying start alongside Sabbhineni Meghana. While she took on Shabnim Ismail, Meghana went bonkers against Matthews to race to 26 off just 12 before the West Indian managed to get the last laugh. The scoring rate did dip for a brief period following the dismissal before Mandhana hammered Amelia Kerr for a couple of sixes and a four in an over to hand her side a timely boost. Perry at the other end didn't look at her fluent best and was striking it at less than 100 while Mandhana raced to her half-century with successive boundaries. Any hopes the bowling side might have had to restrict RCB to a par score from thereon were crushed as Richa Ghosh chipped in with a vital cameo. Perry made up for lost time as well and started contributing with boundaries. However, it was the Georgia Wareham show right at the end that caught MI offguard as RCB hammered 39 runs from the final 12 deliveries. Perry was pretty much just a spectator at the other end as Wareham smashed five fours and a six in a stunning unbeaten 31 off just 10 deliveries, much to MI's frustration. Given the eventual margin of victory, it's safe to say that Wareham was the difference maker in the end. 199/3 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 53, Ellyse Perry 49*; Hayley Matthews 2/37) beat 188/9 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 69; Sneh Rana 3/26, Kim Garth 2/33) by

It's the final league game of the season, with the teams involved having contrasting objectives. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it's been a season to forget apart from their record run-chase in the tournament opener. Already eliminated, the defending champions will hope to sign off with a win to avoid the wooden spoon. For Mumbai Indians, however, this is a big clash as a win will ensure a direct entry to the final at the cost of Delhi Capitals who are currently atop the points table due to a marginally better net run rate. It's all to play for, though Harmanpreet Kaur's team must also be wary of playing on successive days, which could be a physical challenge. It's been a smooth campaign so far for MI who have won five games while losing both their games to DC. The opening combination has been a concern, forcing the think-tank to push Yastika Bhatia down the order but the promotion to Amelia Kerr hasn't really worked either. Hayley Matthews has been in decent touch after a slow start to the season but MI will want better opening partnerships. Nat Sciver-Brunt has been consistent after enduring a poor season last year, while skipper Harmanpreet seems to be warming up well at the right time. While the batting is yet to reach its full potential this season, the bowling has been on song for most parts, riding on Kerr and Shabnim Ismail as the frontline wicket-takers. Sciver-Brunt has also played her role with the ball alongside Amanjot Kaur, making MI's attack an efficient one to deal with. There aren't too many chinks in this MI outfit and they'll be confident of getting the job done against a struggling RCB unit. For Smriti Mandhana's troops, they have nothing to lose and that could make them a dangerous opponent for MI in this fixture. Mandhana's poor season with the bat has been one of the many reasons for RCB's struggles. Fellow opener Danny Wyatt-Hodge has also not fired on a consistent basis, making the batting unit largely about Ellyse Perry. To her credit, the Australian has put in a phenomenal show with the bat but when the team is depending on one batter all the time, it isn't going to take them too far in the tournament. Richa Ghosh has had her moments but on a whole, the batting unit has misfired for RCB. The bowling also has been up and down, often losing the plot at crucial moments. On paper and form, this contest looks heavily in favor of MI but RCB have it in them to spoil their opponents' party. : Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM IST : Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at Cricket Club of India, Mumbai : Runs are always on offer at the Brabourne Stadium with its true surfaces and short boundaries. Dew could be a factor and might force the captains to chase. MI are unlikely to tweak their winning combination but having to play successive days could mean a change for one of the domestic bowling spots. Parunika Sisodia hasn't really had much to do in her games so far and Saika Ishaque could get a look in after having been benched early in the season. Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia(wk), Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque With this being a dead rubber for them, expect RCB to make a lot of changes to give their fringe players a chance. Heather Graham could get a game while Wyatt-Hodge could also be back in the XI after missing the last game. Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana(c), Sabbhineni Meghana, Danny Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Heather Graham/Georgia Wareham, Richa Ghosh(wk), Kanika Ahuja, Charlie Dean/Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur.

Cricket Australia have announced that the one-off Test between Australia and England at the MCG in March 2027 will be played as a day-night pink-ball match, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of men's Test cricket. Scheduled for March 11-15, the fixture will be the first day-night men's Test at the MCG, which recently hosted the women's Ashes Test, which was also a day-night affair. While the inaugural Test in 1877 and the centenary Test in 1977 were both daytime red-ball matches and were also played at the MCG, this historic fixture will be played under floodlights to enable more people to tune in. Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said the occasion would be a fitting tribute to both the game's heritage and its evolution. "The 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG will be one of the great cricket events and playing under lights will be a fantastic way to celebrate both our game's rich heritage and Test cricket's modern evolution. "It will also help ensure more people are able to attend and watch what will be a fantastic occasion. "The Centenary Test created many iconic performances, including David Hookes' five consecutive boundaries off Tony Greig, Rick McCosker batting with a broken jaw and Derek Randall's defiant century, and I'm sure the 150th Test will create its own lifelong memories. "This season's Ashes Series will whet the appetite for this clash in exactly two years, and we look forward to celebrating this historic occasion further as it draws nearer." "We are thankful to the Victorian Government and the Melbourne Cricket Club for their incredible support to host this momentous Test match." The fixture will not be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) but will be the one of the 12 Tests in the season, which will include three in Sri Lanka, three against New Zealand at home, and five in India. The action-packed year will also see Australia travel to England for the Ashes and then participate in the ODI World Cup in South Africa later in the year.

All-rounder Michael Bracewell is set to lead New Zealand for the first time at home when his side takes on Pakistan for the upcoming five-match T20I series. The 34-year-old's maiden stint as captain also came against Pakistan, away from home last year when the Black Caps fielded a largely fringe squad. It will be the case again as only seven players from the Champions Trophy squad will be part of this series. Regular captain Mitchell Santner alongside Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Bevon Jacobs are unavailable due to their IPL commitments. However, the trio of Tim Seifert, Finn Allen and James Neesham are back in the mix after having missed the previous series due to their involvement in T20 leagues. Meanwhile, veteran leggie Ish Sodhi has been recalled after being absent in the recent Sri Lanka series while pacer Ben Sears is also back after having suffered a hamstring injury that had ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Pacers Kyle Jamieson and William O'Rourke have been picked but shall only feature in the first three game of the series, with the selectors keen to monitor the workload of the fast bowlers. Understandably excited at having another crack at leadership, Bracewell is upbeat about the challenge of leading New Zealand against Pakistan, who he termed as a 'dangerous' opponent. "It's a great honour and a real privilege to captain your country," Bracewell said. "I really enjoyed leading the side in Pakistan last year and we've got many players from that squad included for this series as well, which is nice. "Mitch Santner's done a great job since taking over as white-ball captain and I'll really just be trying to build on his good work and create an enjoyable environment for the guys to perform in. "Pakistan are always a dangerous short-form side with lots of power and pace and we know they'll be hurting after an early exit in the Champions Trophy. "For the guys coming back from Dubai, there's obviously a level of disappointment, but also a lot of pride in the way we were able to perform and represent New Zealand. "We've loved all of the support we've received from afar and are certainly looking forward to getting back home and playing in front of our own fans and in front of full venues." NZ T20 squad v Pakistan: Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (games 4 & 5), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (games 4 & 5), Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 & 3), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O'Rourke (games 1, 2 & 3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

A Bangladesh Cricket Board official said on Monday that experienced cricketer Mahmudullah requested the board to not offer him a central contract from March 2025. In the central contract list for 2025, the selection panel kept Mahmudullah in grade B category. "He( Mahmudullah) requested the board not to consider him in the central contract from March onwards," a BCB official told Cricbuzz adding that he will receive the salary for January and February as he was part of the central contract that begins from the start of the year. In the last board meeting the central contract draft was tabled but did not get approval right away. Post the Champions Trophy, both Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim's place in the national team came under scrutiny. Rahim from ODIs recently and Mahmudullah, who has played 239 ODIs in his 18-year career, is expected to follow the same path soon. It is understood that Mahmudullah informed the board that he is not interested to take part in the 2027 World Cup and his withdrawal from the central contract can certainly be considered a move in that direction.

The Warriors have been docked five points in the wake of Cricket South Africa's men's One-Day Cup match at Kingsmead on February 16 that they won by 126 runs. Four of those points have been awarded to their well-beaten opponents, the Dolphins. That cost the Warriors a spot in Wednesday's qualifier, which will be at Kingsmead between the Dolphins and the Titans - who would have hosted the qualifier in Centurion had the Dolphins not been awarded the four points. Wednesday's winners will meet Boland in the final in Paarl on Sunday. Hang on. The Warriors were convincing winners over a side who were then bumped above them in the final standings? The losers, the Dolphins, were given four points for free and thus propelled into the playoffs? The Titans have been denied the advantage they earned of playing a crucial match at home? How could this happen? Kindly suspend your disbelief at this point, because you really couldn't make it up. If you're part of cricket in South Africa you don't have to make it up. CSA's suits do that for you. Essentially, you work with two scorecards. One is the analysis of batting and bowling that we're all familiar with. The other is strictly South African. It doesn't count runs, wickets or any of the usual stuff. Indeed, it doesn't note whether your team wins or loses, or even if your players are any good at cricket. This scorecard has one job: to count how many black, how many brown and how many white players are in your XI. Pertinently, it measures whether your team meets the transformation targets set by CSA, who in turn are compelled to meet government targets. It doesn't care whether your players - all of them, black, brown and white - are happy to be part of this exercise in social engineering. It cares only that you field the requisite minimum of black, in particular, but also brown players. Whites are optional extras. Hence selectors and coaches are compelled to jump through black hoops while squaring brown circles, all the while ensuring they don't go up white ladders or down white snakes. The Warriors failed to satisfy the tenets of the scorecard at Kingsmead on February 16, when they fielded two - rather than the stipulated three - black players. They weren't forced to do so because of injury, in which case an explanatory letter to CSA asking for permission to deviate from what are ubiquitously called "the numbers" can be written and a reprieve obtained. No such permission was sought by the Warriors, and so the axe fell. Slowly. The Warriors' fate was communicated to them on Sunday night - 21 days after the match was played - and revealed at 10.02am on Monday, when the final official standings were released. A note attached to the standings explained that the Eastern Capers had been punished "for a breach of clause 3.2.2 of the administrative conditions for not complying with the on-field target requirement [for senior domestic matches] of a minimum of three black African players in the starting XI". Despite that, a story headlined "Boland reach final as Titans, Warriors [sic] in playoff" was posted on CSA's website at 9.42am on Monday. The article remained published even after CSA issued a statement at 4.30pm titled, "Warriors lose playoff spot following sanction". The statement said the decision to take action followed "a comprehensive review and investigation" and that a monetary penalty had also been imposed. Half was due before the current financial year ends in February next year, and the rest suspended for five years. It would "only be activated if a similar breach occurs within that period". How much money was involved was not revealed. How did we get here? Cricket, like every other aspect of South African society, has been riven by racist inequality since the British brought the game to the country in the early 19th century. Apartheid was defeated at the ballot box in April 1994, but racism persists - and could still infect the selection of XIs. Hence the imposition of what used to be called quotas, and which remain in place as a guardrail against a return to the awful ways of the past. Black and brown South Africans have played cricket for centuries, but because of apartheid's ongoing social and economic effects and the continued location of all but one of the country's major grounds in affluent, formerly white areas, the myth persists that the game is predominantly a pursuit of the pale. Of course, because trying to right serious historical wrongs involves human beings rather than theories, however well-intentioned, of how to do so, matters don't always go according to plan. Or even make sense. Like the term "target requirement" used in the note attached to the standings. A "target" is something to be striven for. A "requirement" is mandatory. A "target requirement" is at odds with itself, a contradiction in terms. Is it a target or a requirement? It cannot be both. Neither should it be neglected that, geographically, the Warriors have access to the greatest repository of black talent in the country. Of all people, how could this happen to them? It cannot be forgotten that they are coached by Robin Peterson, who is not white. He is also not black. He is brown. That changes everything in this moment of South Africa's journey towards a fairer society. Under apartheid, whites artificially topped the legislative, economic and social totem pole by some distance. They were followed by brown people, mostly of Malay heritage or racially mixed background - who mostly self-identify as coloured - as well those whose ancestors came from south Asia. Blacks were firmly at the bottom, and kept there by brutal laws designed to crush every moment of their lives. Attempts have been made since 1994 not to reverse that order but to equalise it. Those efforts are ongoing and they should continue. One reason why is that although apartheid was scrapped more than 31 years ago, only 4% of privately-owned land in South Africa belongs to blacks, who compromise more than 81.7% of the population. Consequently, calls for a better life for blacks have become more urgent and strident. In cricket terms, this has led to ever louder questions about the lack of black players at the higher levels of the game. Similar questions used to be asked about brown players. No longer. It's as if they don't matter anymore, or are considered dishonorary whites. They are players like Peterson was before he became a coach. And Craig Marais, who started the last of his 22 first-class matches exactly nine months after South Africa's inaugural democratic election. Marais played those games, and a dozen list A matches, on the white side of cricket's apartheid picket fence. Other brown players did, too. But that didn't make them any less brown, and thus subject to racism. "Transformation is and was completely necessary to address past imbalances, but in 2025 it is just discriminatory and racist," Marais posted on social media on Monday in response to the Warriors debacle. "Coloured cricketers weren't white enough in the bad old days, and now they're not black enough!" Marais asked pointedly whether South Africa "should have penalised themselves" because they dared to reach the 2024 men's T20 World Cup final with Kagiso Rabada as the lone black member of their squad. There's anger in those words but also hurt. You can feel that above any amount of colour-coded hoop-jumping, circle-squaring and games of snakes 'n ladders. There's a lot more where that comes from South Africans of all races. We do not have the privilege of suspending our disbelief.

Mumbai Indians continued their domination over the Gujarat Giants, beating them for the sixth time in a row across the WPL in a thriller at the Brabourne Stadium by nine runs. Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with 54 and stitched a fine 59-run partnership with Nat Sciver-Brunt (38) before Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews picked up three-fers with the ball while Ismail bowled a miserly spell of 2 for 17 in her four overs. Bharti Fulmali scored a 25-ball 61 in vain for the Giants who are now guaranteed to play in the eliminator on March 13. In front of their home crowd for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2023, MI got off the blocks in a flash with a 12-run over off Deandra Dottin. But the hosts poor opening stands continued as Kerr was run-out for just five. Having driven the ball to Ash Gardner at mid-on, the New Zealander failed in her attempt to poach a quick single. But Dottin continued to feel the heat from her West Indian counterpart Matthews due to her lack of control despite getting some early swing. MI then began to motor through Sciver-Brunt who latched into three poor balls by Tanuja Kanwer, resulting in two fours and a six. However, the Giants got their second breakthrough after the strategic timeout with the dangerous Matthews caught behind off legspinner Priya Mishra. The tide began to turn in the 9th over when Mishra was punished for her lack of control with three fours. The introduction of Meghna Singh made no difference to proceedings as Harmanpreet slashed her away for two fours. MI raced from 50 after eight overs to 100 for 1 by the end of the 13th. Gardner brought herself back into the attack for her second spell and struck with the big wicket of Sciver-Brunt. Amanjot Kaur who earned a promotion to No. 6 took apart Gautam with consecutive boundaries and a six before she was pocketed by Gardner. Harmanpreet and Sajana Sajeevan scored two boundaries each in the 18th and 19th overs which also took the MI skipper to her half-century. Despite Harmanpreet falling at the start of the 20th over, Yastika Bhatia took advantage of the favourable matchup against Kanwer to power a four and a six as MI finished on 179 for 6. With the task of chasing the total within 18 overs to jump to the top of the table fresh in the Giants' minds, the Giants sent Gautam out to bat in search of a quick start. But in similar fashion to MI, the Giants too had a poor opening stand as Beth Mooney chipped Matthews straight to cover. Harleen Deol, fresh of a match-winning 70*, began with three consecutive boundaries off Matthews to signal her intent straightaway. Despite Gautam having scored two boundaries, she chewed up 14 deliveries enroute to her 10 before being stumped off Sanskriti Gupta. Ismail was brought back after the PowerPlay and picked up Gardner for a duck as the Giants began to slump. Litchfield took the attack to Gupta in her second over, clinching three boundaries. Just when things were looking brighter for the Giants, Kerr deceived Deol with a googly and rapped her pads in front of the stumps. Litchfield was the next to go after trying a cheeky scoop against Ismail while Kerr cleaned up the hard-hitting Dottin. Fulmali on the other hand, got her innings motoring with a 14-run over off Sciver-Brunt before smashing Kerr down the ground for a maximum. In an attempt to keep the Giants in the mix despite 80 required off the last 6 overs, Fulmali played the short ball excellently off Amanjot and ended the over with a six. She then made room against the spin of Parunika Sisodia and lofted her on the offside for two fours with a third down towards deep mid-wicket. The right-hander plundered Kerr for two more sixes bringing up her 50 off just 22 balls as the Giants were well in the hunt. She sliced Kerr over the offside to the fence before attempting the shot one too many times, as the legspinner had the last laugh. But the heist for GG was still on, as Simran Shaikh swatted Matthews down the ground for six while Kanwer pulled out a reverse sweep to everyone's surprise, as the ball raced to the fence. Sciver-Brunt then conceded 10 in the penultimate over before Matthews sealed the deal for MI, : Mumbai Indians 179/6 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54, Nat Sciver-Brunt 38; Priya Mishra 1-23, Ashleigh Gardner 1-27) beat lost to Gujarat Giants 170 in 20 overs (Bharti Fulmali 61, Harleen Deol 24; Amelia Kerr 3-34, Hayley Matthews 3-38) by 9 runs

In August 2024, a discussion unfolded between two Pakistani cricket administrators about women's cricket. What began as an engaging exchange of thoughts and ideas took an intriguing turn when they unexpectedly reached common ground: that India, Australia, and England play far too often among themselves, leaving women players from other teams sidelined. Considering the World Championship schedules, there isn't a significant disparity in the number of matches played by Full Member nations. And if certain boards choose to invest in Test cricket, it can hardly be held against them. The frustration, however, stemmed less from the additional international fixtures and more from the disproportionately high number of invitations extended to players from these specific countries to participate in their respective leagues. The assessment is true to an extent, but not entirely. Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, and Hayley Matthews of the West Indies have repeatedly found interest from leagues across the world. So have South Africa's Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, New Zealand's Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr, and Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu. On the contrary, only one cricketer from Pakistan, Nida Dar, has ever received an invite to feature in one of the three premier foreign leagues - the WBBL in 2019. Even players from Ireland, Scotland and USA have found more takers. The fact that players from Pakistan have been repeatedly ignored has not escaped their attention. 2Er6nJR7Lnb The reasons for such inequality are understandable. There are limited slots available for overseas players in each of these leagues, as a result of which certain players get opportunities to play in multiple leagues while most others get none at all. Even if they do get picked by franchises, especially in the WPL, it leads to a situation where even some of the best players in the world don't get opportunities to feature in the XI. It happened with Shabnim Ismail warming the bench for most of UP Warriorz's inaugural season, and the next season with Annabel Sutherland for Delhi Capitals. South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon, who has been a part of Mumbai Indians' setup since the inaugural season, is yet to play a game for them. So what is the chance that the best from Pakistan, Fatima Sana for example, could get that opportunity? On many occasions, depending on the depth of domestic reserves available in their respective countries, the demand for overseas players is gauged. As a result, while pace-bowling all-rounders like South Africa's Marizanne Kapp and West Indies' Deandra Dottin might end up getting interest from all leagues, specialist pacers without batting skills like Australia's Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown often struggle to attract the same demand. The primary advantage of having these leagues is to help the domestic players rub shoulders with some of the best players from around the world and level up their game. Australia, who were the frontrunners with a women's league, took advantage of that development and have reached a stage wherein some of the players who don't even make their national squad find takers in international leagues. They have become the global leaders in shaping the advancement of gameplay, and countries like England, India and West Indies have tried to follow suit, hoping for similar results. At this point in world cricket, strong players and players from stronger teams are getting more opportunities to improve their game, separating the top-tier from the rest of the pack. It's a concern that Dottin raised when she was asked about the one lesser-spoken issue in women's cricket. "Some teams are more privileged than others," she said. "You will see (players in) Australia, England, and India being equally paid. They're not equally paid, but it's basically a low-budget kind of a thing. Then there are some (in other countries) that have to take a bus with their gear to go to training. They're not as fortunate, but they have the love and the passion for the game. "Travelling to Australia, England, and India and getting to know different personalities from the players really has helped me. Having to be among the other players (in WPL, WBBL and the Hundred), playing alongside them from different countries, is a privilege. You actually sit and learn from them. Even without picking their mind, you just watch how they go about their game. Just try to take a couple of things from them. Sometimes, you will have a conversation with them and see where their headspace is." The privileges that she talks about are more than just knowledge-capital sharing. These leagues expose players to better pitches, better outfields, and in the case of WPL, even significantly bigger crowds with higher financial compensation. There are also opportunities for more earning, which invariably also leads to access to better training and better nutrition. In recent years, a few players - including Dottin for a brief while - have grudgingly opted to take the freelance route given the financial and quality game-time opportunities available with overseas leagues. V7LPmNLv0Yw Only a few minutes before Dottin had expressed her concern, Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger had highlighted that the disparity between the haves and have-nots of women's cricket may get worse. "It's probably going to happen even more because there's now a window," Klinger assessed. "Previously, you'd have some periods, like say for WBBL, where the Indian players weren't available, the South African players weren't available, or they were available for half the season and then you could get other players in. There were more opportunities for not just the same ones coming back all the time, who are perceived as the best players around the world. "In theory, now with the windows for the three tournaments, as long as those same players want to play all three and not have a break, then there's probably a decent chance that you'll see very much the same players coming back, it might increase that gulf. I suppose there will always be potentially another couple of competitions outside of those three where there will be opportunities for players who might have missed out." On the contrary, Jon Lewis, the head coach of UP Warriorz and the England women's team, is of the view that having limited seats for foreign players in leagues will fuel ambition and intensify competition. "I think it's really healthy competition, to be honest. It creates ambition and competition. Every time you have competition in anything, it drives development. For me, competition is a really strong way of developing players around the world. "It opens their eyes to the standards that's required to be a franchise overseas cricketer. If you're picked and selected to be a franchise overseas cricketer and you're playing in the XI, you're one of the best cricketers in the world. So your ambition as a young cricketer or an old cricketer should be always to be one of the best cricketers in the world. In these types of competitions, some senior overseas players are dominating because they're able to perform consistently. If the players that are underneath that group start to perform more consistently, they will break into that group and they'll knock someone else out." One of the biggest reasons why this disparity in playing-time in the leagues continues, apart from the window reserved for these leagues, is the limited investment from a number of boards. The supply highly outweighs the demand at this point, ensuring each country's league benefits their own players and only the cream of foreign talent. While this disparity between the haves and have-nots of women's cricket is concerning, leagues like WPL have also unexpectedly helped domestic players from struggling teams evolve at a much faster rate, and helped bridge some of the talent gaps in women's cricket. The best way to understand the impact of these leagues is by shedding light on what even the worst-performing team is able to offer to the cricketing system. In the case of WPL, Gujarat Giants become an easy pick to inspect - a team that has finished at the bottom of the points table in the first two seasons, registering only four wins across 16 games. Unintentionally, it has created a situation wherein even as teams like Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals dominate the league, franchises like Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and UP Warriorz, by force more than choice, have provided more exposure to uncapped domestic players, throwing them into high-pressure situations and accelerating their development. In fact, the number of matches a team won in the league phase of the first two seasons of WPL is inversely proportional to the involvement of the uncapped Indian players - in terms of balls faced or balls bowled. j3MOAZ29Xx A closer look at the table shows how the uncapped Indian batters of UP Warriorz ended up facing more than twice the number of deliveries than their counterparts in any other team. Similarly, the uncapped Indian bowlers of Gujarat Giants delivered more balls than their counterparts from Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and UP Warriorz combined. This wasn't a deliberate plan but a byproduct of poor auction strategy and underwhelming performances from overseas players leading to team inconsistencies. However, the impact is undeniable. Many of these domestic players have transitioned to higher levels of the game faster than expected. The WPL, in particular, has fast-tracked several players into the Indian team, with the likes of Saika Ishaque, Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, S Sajana and S Asha being among 11 players who made their India debuts after impressing in the tournament. While their elevation to the national side wasn't solely due to their WPL performances, it was in this league that they demonstrated their ability to challenge some of the best players in the world. "There's no more proof of that than with the Gujarat Giants in the last 12 months," Klinger said proudly. "We didn't have a great season last year, but I know for a fact as I was here and helping deal with the other coaches is I really feel we're developing the players, and we've put a premium on individual development and also around trying to expose them to conditions that they're going to get at the top level. I think we had six or seven in the India A squad and another five playing for India who weren't playing previously in the last 12 months. "I'd love to be winning trophies and doing that, don't get me wrong, and we've still got a chance to do that this year. But if we can, if teams are doing both, then they're nailing it." Lewis, who has coached UP Warriorz since the inaugural season, takes a different view on his stint with the team that failed to make it to the final in the first two seasons. "First and foremost, that (player development) is the purpose of the competition. We obviously want to win. That's like a prerequisite in sport. But there's a lot of stuff outside of cricket that is around developing the awareness of women's cricket, in particular in India, and women's cricket around the world. If women's cricket grows in India, then women's cricket around the world grows, It can only make it a healthier place. "And then the other part of that is obviously around selecting young Indian players to try and help develop them. Again, it makes women's cricket around the globe stronger. I've been really impressed with the strides that they (domestic Indian cricketers) have made and are taking and moving their games forward. It hasn't yet come to fruition in terms of consistent on-field performances. But that will come in time. By establishing a core group of young Indian players to potentially build upon in the future is something that we've been trying to do. And we feel like we're definitely moving those players forward. "Development of cricket players takes an inordinate amount of time, especially ones that are between the age of 18 and 22, which most of our young batters are. So that takes a long, long time for them to do because they don't play as frequently as the men do. Over time, you'll see the players that will benefit and Indian cricket will benefit from what we're doing." 8Mr72yBqovP The gap between the level of skill at the domestic level and the international level in all countries is massive. T20 leagues have become an important platform to bridge that gap, and WPL has shown that even struggling franchises serve a vital role. However, barring Australia, England, India and West Indies, no other board has taken a step towards starting its own league. Australia have completed 10 editions of WBBL already, and their consistent domination of international cricket is proof of the inherent value. England have had leagues (Super League and The Hundred) for women running since 2015, but a few other boards have relied more on boastful claims without concrete action. For example, former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja announced the desire to make Pakistan the first Asian country to have a women's league in 2021. Since then, neither has anything materialised nor is anything in the pipeline for the near future. Similarly, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had planned a league for 2025, but backed out at the last moment. The fact that teams like New Zealand and South Africa reached the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup can give a false impression that they are the best teams in the world despite not having a league. But in reality, Australia continue to dominate the rankings in both ODIs and T20Is, with India and England taking the next two positions. The need for leagues is far more urgent for boards like Pakistan and Bangladesh, whose players are not only among the worst-paid women athletes from Full Member nations but have also lacked opportunities in foreign leagues. They are placed 8th and 9th respectively in T20I rankings, and 10th and 8th in ODIs. Boards with greater funds and intentional administrators willing to drive the growth of women's cricket have generated avenues for better players, and players from more privileged cricketing countries have been able to build the platform, but the rest have been left behind. It's created a gulf between the haves and the have-nots that's only going to widen unless more countries take steps to build their own leagues.

The 20-day, 15-game Champions Trophy came to a close at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS), with India lifting the trophy. However, a sour note was left by Pakistan, who complained about the absence of a representative from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the hosts of the tournament, at the presentation ceremony. "India have won the Champions Trophy, but I noticed something rather strange. There wasn't a single representative from the PCB on the podium, even though Pakistan was the host of the tournament. I can't understand why no one was there to represent the country. It's beyond me to even think about. There should have been someone on this world stage. Unfortunately, I didn't see any PCB members out there," Shoaib Akhtar said in a video posted on social media. The fact is that no elected member of the PCB was present at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, despite being the hosts of the tournament. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi did not travel to Dubai for the closing ceremony. Instead, the PCB sent Sumair Ahmed, the tournament director for the Pakistan leg of the Champions Trophy, as their representative. But it is understood that protocols did not allow to have employees on the podium where only the elected members or directors of the board were present - Jay Shah, ICC Chair, Roger Binny and Devajit Saikia, the president and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and New Zealand Cricket director Roger Twose - were present. There was, in fact, another tournament director, Andre Russell, who was in charge of the Dubai leg of the Champions Trophy. He was also not called to the podium where only the office-bearers or directors were present.

Getting to the semifinal or the final of ICC tournaments is no mean feat but when you keep faltering at the final hurdles for a while, it can become a mental block sooner than later. Ask India, who had hit a drought of ICC titles across formats since 2013, a lean patch that only ended in 2024 with the T20 World Cup title. In between, they made it to semifinals aplenty and also a few finals across formats, only to be denied. Ironically, one of the finals, the World Test Championship clash, was New Zealand's first major silverware since their 2000 Champions Trophy win. However, when it comes to white-ball trophies, New Zealand are still 25 years and counting since the day when they lifted the title in Nairobi. They have made it to five white-ball ICC tournament finals during this period, the latest being this clash in Dubai, but have not managed to get across the line. Captain Mitchell Santner put on a brave face regarding these stats but also admitted that his side needed to break the jinx sooner than later. "I guess they're starting to add up a bit now," said Santner at the post-match press conference. "But yeah, if you make finals, you're coming up against another pretty good team who's also playing some good cricket. So, I think I was proud with the way we fought tonight. I think we pride ourselves on, especially in the field, not giving up. And I don't think we did throughout that inning. So, I guess, it's bittersweet. You always want to win one of these. And I don't know how many more chances we'll get. But yeah, I think this is up there for us. I think we were playing some good cricket leading into this and we thought we were in with a real sniff today, but I guess we just got beaten by a good team." Sunday's defeat was New Zealand's second successive loss in an ICC knockout game against India, following the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal in Mumbai. However, the Black Caps did have an edge prior to these games when it came to ICC knockout games against India. That said, New Zealand's inability to come up trumps in the big games has been a pattern. They were outplayed in the final of the 2009 Champions Trophy and 2015 ODI World Cup by Australia, although they came ever so close to lifting the ODI World Cup title in 2019, only to be undone in the Super Over against England. The 2021 T20 World Cup final was a golden opportunity for New Zealand but once again, their Trans-Tasman neighbours spoiled the party to register their first-ever T20 world title in Dubai. That venue came back to bite the Kiwis once more on Sunday as they ended up on the wrong side of yet another ICC final, this time against India, in what was a tense final. Reflecting on this, Santner wasn't quite able to point a finger at what could be the missing piece for his side. "I guess we just keep coming up against India, which is always a challenge. You've got to acknowledge that it's a massive game. But I think the way you go about it is you treat it as we've been doing throughout the tournament. We knew the conditions were going to be slightly different again from the semi-final, but we were ready for that. I thought we still put in a pretty good performance, and we took India deep. But I guess there's always a few moments in every game, let alone every final, where you can potentially look back at. I guess just the way we kind of keep sticking at it, the way we fought, pretty proud of the group for doing that." Unlike most tournaments held in the UAE over the years, the Champions Trophy games didn't have dew as a factor. It explained why Santner opted to bat after winning the toss, having done the opposite during the league fixture against India. That game, albeit on a drier and turning surface, saw New Zealand fall well short in a run chase of 240-plus. The strip used in the final, though, appeared to be a better batting surface but Santner had no regrets over the decision at the toss. "I think there was probably a little bit more turn in the second innings, I think it was a pretty consistent pitch all the way through. I guess coming off the semi-final where we feel like if we get a total we can squeeze teams and we did that for a majority of this game, but yeah, I think outside of the powerplay with the bat we kind of lost a couple pretty quickly - and then it was definitely a hard wicket to start on and then yeah, I think we probably left maybe 25 out there, and then there may have been a different game." Indeed, the game could have been a lot different had New Zealand gotten past the 275-run mark. It was a score they were on track to get, more so after a strong PowerPlay that yielded 69 runs. However, India's spinners yet again put on a middle-overs masterclass in bowling to choke the opposition. New Zealand's batters too struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking and the run rate saw a massive dip during this phase. Eventually, it took a breezy Michael Bracewell to even get past 250. Santner conceded the middle-overs meltdown as a crucial part in the final. "I think the intent we had with the bat, especially at the start, was outstanding. It was clear probably the best time to bat was the powerplay. And I think the way we went about it for the first kind of eight overs or so was outstanding. And then it took some brilliance from the spin bowlers to kind of really peg us back and make it, I guess, challenging through that kind of middle phase. Yeah, we didn't, I guess after the start, we were probably thinking 280, 275. But the way they were able to squeeze and build pressure, and then, the way Michael Bracewell played at the end got us up to that 250 mark, but it was maybe looking a little bit less." Despite being a slightly under-par total, New Zealand may have felt a lot more confident had they had their spearhead Matt Henry available. As it turned out, the pacer had to miss out on the final after failing to recover fully from the shoulder strain suffered while fielding in the semifinal. Henry's dominance over India's top-order has been well-documented, notably in the 2019 World Cup semifinal and in the league game this tournament. Santner confessed his strike bowler's absence as a key setback in such a big game. "He's an outstanding bowler as we've seen, he seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don't look like they should nip. I guess we missed that today, and I feel for Matty - he's a massive team man and like you said, he looked pretty distraught. We just kind of said, like, let's do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was obviously pretty tough for him and I guess for us, but yeah, he tried everything he could to be ready for this game and unfortunately for us he wasn't quite there." Santner was also full of praise for his counterpart Rohit Sharma whose dazzling fifty at the top of the order also won him the Player of the Match award. Heading into the summit clash, Rohit hadn't gotten a big score although he did register a few quick cameos along the way. Santner felt that Rohit's assault at the top was a decisive phase in the game, particularly given that the Indian captain managed to bat a bit deeper than usual. "I guess if you would ask Rohit before the tournament which game he'd like to score the most runs, it'd probably be the final. But I think his approach, he puts fear in bowlers. They're kind of aggressive in nature. I think him and Shubman adapted well. Shubman will wait for a bad ball, but Rohit is pretty happy to hit bowlers off their lengths. And I guess the way he goes about it, you might fail a few times, but, like he did today, if you can really get your team off to a flyer, especially on a slow wicket, you put yourself kind of ahead of the game. And like their power play with the bat was good, and then, you know, I guess we're kind of on the back foot from there with him being probably 100 for none. So yeah, I think the way he goes about it, he might fail every now and then, but he can potentially turn one game just by the way he kind of goes about and he did that tonight." Despite Rohit's assault and a century opening stand, there was a brief phase where New Zealand really threatened to turn the game on its head. After the first drinks break of the chase, India slipped from 105-0 to 122/3 in the space of 46 deliveries. The wickets came as a result of unerring accuracy from the Kiwi spinners, led by Santner and Bracewell. The New Zealand captain was seen chatting animatedly during the drinks break and whatever he said back then surely did work a treat. "We just needed to get Rohit Sharma out by the looks of it. They got off to a good start with some good batting and a good partnership. But I think we still felt through the middle stages; you could really squeeze the new batters. It looked like a tough wicket to start on, as it was the other day here. So, we're still trying to be aggressive with the ball. Just told someone to potentially change the game with a catch or run out of something. And I think we were still able to chip wickets out. I think there was a little period of play there before Rohit got out that we definitely started to squeeze and you could kind of feel something happening. But I think to go run-a-ball 70 or 80 on that wicket was a pretty good knock."

There are stars in the Indian team, and then there are stars like KL Rahul - quiet, uncelebrated, often unsung, mostly maligned and perennially trolled. As skipper Rohit Sharma would say later, the Champions Trophy glory wouldn't have been possible without a total team effort and if one name were to be picked for a standout yet underrated contribution, it would be Rahul. A silent warrior, he provided a calming influence, giving direction to the team's needs in crunch situations. When the situation got tense in the semifinal against Australia, he told Virat Kohli to protect one end and volunteered to take risks in every over. It so happened that an otherwise settled and sorted batter like Kohli lost his cool and threw away his wicket playing a rash shot. Hardik Pandya came out and played a couple of big shots to ease the tension but when the situation was getting too close for the team's comfort, Rahul blocked one end and stayed till the end to see the side over the line. Even in the final, the game nearly went out of control when Axar holed out to long-off, an avoidable show of aggression that brought about the batsman's downfall, putting the side in a tricky situation. Once again, it was Rahul who rose to the occasion, remaining unbeaten on 34. He played a few crucial big hits to ensure that the asking rate did not get out of hand. Rahul was there to guide the team across the line, averting what could have been a potentially disastrous and inexplicably cataclysmic collapse. His presence was a symbol of calm, sensible, and resolve. In fact, it was a gift for the Indian team that a player of Rahul's composure stepped up in such situations. Few teams have the luxury of such ability and temperament. Rohit rightly acknowledged the utility and value of Rahul to the side and lauded his role in the team's successful campaign. "KL obviously has been doing a lot of challenging work for the team for so many years now. And I'm very, very happy with how he managed to pull this tournament and batted in pressure situations, both in semifinals and this game as well. The contribution may not be 70-80, but those 30-40s are very, very important," the skipper said. "When you're chasing, run the ball at the back end, it can get tough. It can get difficult. But with KL being there, we know that he's got that mind where he keeps himself calm and keeps the dressing room also very calm, so I'm very happy with how he managed in this tournament and really happy for you to know the contributions that he made for the team." Interestingly, in a career spanning just over a decade, this was Rahul's first ICC trophy. In four of the five games he played during the competition, his scores were 41 (vs Bangladesh), 23 (vs New Zealand), 42 not out (vs Australia in the semifinal), and 34 not out (vs New Zealand in the final). His aggregate for the tournament was 140, with three unbeaten knocks, though notably, without a single half-century. "Cricket's a team game and whatever the team requires of you, you need to be able to do that. You need to be able to accept that firstly and find a way to put in performances for the team and understand what your role is and what the responsibility is," Rahul said of his role in the lower middle order. For someone who had primarily been an opener, this flexibility in his approach was refreshing to see. "ICC victories are not so easy to get. It's my first one, so I'm very happy and over the moon. It hasn't been one or two performances. I think all 11, 12 players have stood up when the opportunity has come in. It is one of the biggest reasons why we could end up strong," Rahul said. On the eve of the final, Rahul arrived at the ICC Academy facility almost an hour before his teammates for practice. He warmed up alone on the field before heading to the batting nets, where he practised hitting a series of big shots. Knowing that his turn to bat would come lower down the order, he consciously practiced with the old ball and always looked to clear the boundary. His unbeaten knocks of 42 and 34 in the knockout games were invaluable and worth their weight in gold. "It requires a lot of preparation, requires a lot of work outside the cricket field - just sitting and thinking about how I need to take each game and how I need to perform in different situations," Rahul explained about his preparation and work ethics. "(I) just watch some of the players that I like and some of the players that bat at number six and how they've been successful previously...so just watch, learn and understand my role. I am happy that I've been given different roles and I've been able to perform."

It has been a tumultuous six months for Rohit Sharma, with runs hard to come by and the situation so dire that he even had to drop himself from the XI. But as they say, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. For Rohit, though, it wasn't just light - it was radiance, luminescence and resplendence. Few India skippers would be as worthy of the Champions Trophy glory. Amid intense speculation about his future and rumours of differences with coach Gautam Gambhir, there was a cloud of uncertainty surrounding his immediate prospects. Yet, Rohit never compromised on his style or approach to batting. He continued to take on the bowlers with the sole aim of providing a solid start and setting a strong foundation for the team. He succeeded more often than not in the Champions Trophy here in Dubai, although his approach and style of batting drew criticism from legends like Sunil Gavaskar. "As a batter, are you happy with scoring 25-30 runs? You shouldn't be," Gavaskar told the channel before the final, referring to his scores of 41, 20, 15 and 28 before the title clash. Rohit responded with a night. He was the player of the final. There is always an element of tenacity to his aggression in his batting. He would try to take early advantage of the field restrictions by going over the head of the fielders. With over 11,000 runs, he was always a safe bet for the team, but lately his contribution lacked consistency. Sunday's effort should silence his critics. There was selflessness to his approach, as on the slow wickets of Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS), scoring with the old ball and with the spread out field has not been easy. He wanted to be proactive in the beginning as he had been in the recent times. "I have not done anything different; I have been doing the same thing that I'm doing over the past 3-4 matches. I know how very important it is to score runs in the powerplay, because we saw in not only one or two games, but all five games, after 10 overs it becomes very difficult when the field spreads and spinners come on," Rohit explained about the difficulty of scoring runs here. There has not been a single total over 300 in the five games played here. "You may not see the consistency of big runs, but if I'm very clear in my mind about what I have to do. Then as long as I am very clear, I think it is pretty much okay. Today you saw that after 10 overs I changed my game a little. I wanted to play longer. But I went to put a bit of pressure and I got out. But again, you feel very happy when you win a match and when you contributed to it - It feels even better. "I contributed a lot in the 2019 World Cup, but we didn't win. So, it wasn't fun. Even if you score 30 or 40 runs and win the match, you get more satisfaction and happiness. So, I think it was very important for me to do something and contribute and bring the team in a position where there is a little comfort for the rest of the batting order." Scoring runs is only one half of Rohit's job. Getting the best out of the rest of the team is the more difficult part. He has led the side to four finals of the global events, winning two of them. Over a long period of time, there is always a chance for complacency to creep in and there would be odd defeats. "You lose one series here and there, it doesn't mean that the team is bad or things are not happening right, things are not going in the right direction. It happens, everybody is allowed to lose and we lost a series in India against New Zealand, the Test series. But that happens. It's like every time we take the field, we are meant to win everything. But that is not going to happen. This is a sport that we play. There are opposition who are also trying their best to beat us." It is not easy to keep the collective hunger of the team intact. But Rohit thinks differently, calling his side a bloody good team. "There's not too much work that is done there. At the end of the day, you're representing your country, and everyone understands that. So that is not where I come into play. My job is to make sure that whoever we pick to play gets the job done for the team. Like I said, there is a lot of hunger, even for the guys who have played a lot of cricket. So, these things are not supposed to be taught." He continued, "No, it obviously is just not me. You know, a lot of the captains who've played before me, captained the team before me, a lot of credit goes to them as well. A lot of the coaches who have come before, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, and all of these guys. The credit goes to everyone. India is a bloody good team without a doubt." He is also a bloody good player, and above all a damn good selfless captain.

India beat New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday (March 9) to win the title for the third time in their history. Here's how the players from the winning side reacted post the victory. We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australia tour, wanted to win a big tournament and we ended up doing that. So, it's an amazing feeling, lovely playing with a bunch of such amazing youngsters, so much talent in the change room and they're taking Indian cricket forward in the right direction. And we're really happy to help, share our experience and try to make an impact whenever we get a chance. But yeah, these guys are stepping up in a massive way and that's why we are such a strong team. These are the things after playing for so long, such a long career, you look forward to situations where you're put under pressure and you walk in and you put your hand up. And I think to win titles, which has kind of been missing in the past, the whole team has to step up in different games. And if you see this tournament over the course of five matches, everyone has put their hand up somewhere or the other. And that's why we ended up winning this tournament. And people have made such impactful knocks, such impactful spells and it's only a collective effort that can win you a title. And I'm just so happy that we were able to play as a unit, just really enjoy ourselves. We've had such an amazing time as a team here in practice sessions, off the field, on the field. It's been honestly an amazing, amazing tournament for us. As Shubman said, I try to speak to these guys as much as possible, try to share my experience, how I've been able to play for so long, try to step in wherever I can to help improve their games. And yeah, it's only as they rightly say, when you leave, you want to leave the place in a better position. And that's our effort. You know, that's what we're striving for. When eventually we are finally done at whatever stage, we have a squad that's ready to take on the world for the next eight, ten years. And these guys definitely have the talent to do so. And also the game awareness. And, you know, they've stepped up already, so many impactful innings. This guy's played (on Gill), Shreyas, beautiful. KL's been finishing games, Hardik's a match winner, so you know, we are in good hands. We've always been in awe of what they (New Zealand) can do with the limited number of players they've had over the years and just maximize their talent to the absolute maximum. Every time we played against them in big games, you know they're going to come with a set plan. And no other team in world cricket executes plans as well as they do. They just know, every fielder knows where the bowler is going to bowl. And you can sense it. You know, they're all attacking the ball because they know the bowler is going to be so accurate. So credit to them. They've been probably the most consistent team in the last few years in big tournaments. And the reason for that is their immense belief in their skills and the amount of talent they have. They utilize that to the maximum and easily the best fielding side in the world. So yeah, huge shout out to them. They continue to display why they are one of the top teams in the world. And again, a great campaign. Sad to see a very good friend of mine (Kane Williamson) on the losing side, but I've been on the losing side a couple of times when he's been on the winning side. So only love between us. I don't think I can say this on camera, but I was s****ing myself at the end. But we still had a couple of batters to come, so I was confident that we could get over the line. But in moments like this and big games, it's more about holding your composure, which we all know about. Yeah, happy to win this and happy to get over the line this time. I think I've batted in times like this in three out of the five games. And one of the games. I didn't get to bat at all against Pakistan. So, yeah, the game's given me good time in the middle and good time to prepare for a big moment like this. It's hard to put in words. But, yeah, it's just pure skill and the way we've all played our cricket growing up. And, you know, where we've had to face a lot of challenges, we've had to face pressure from the time we held the bat and from the time we decided to be professional cricketers. So, I think it's just the first class cricket, BCCI, how they've groomed every player, every talented player that comes around and giving us opportunities and platform to showcase our skills and to put ourselves under pressure and keep challenging ourselves and getting better. I think it all comes down to that. Felt amazing, you know, for the most time I was just sitting back and enjoying Rohit Bhai's batting but I think we kept talking to each other and the partnership was very important for us and we kept talking. Rohit Bhai told me it doesn't matter how many balls you are behind, just keep looking at the scoreboard, you have to play till the end. We missed out on the last one that we played in 2023 and a surreal feeling to be able to win this one, starting with the ODI series in England, winning eight ODIs. Watching him (Virat Kohli) on the TV when I was a kid and then playing against him and seeing the intensity at which he plays at is just phenomenal to watch. And I think it tells us what the game is all about, giving us everything. And that's the only thing that he talks about, even off the field as well, give your everything when you're playing on the field. And for him to be able to back his words like that is just phenomenal. Amazing to win an ICC event and especially Champions Trophy. You know, I remember 2017 very closely to my heart. We could not finish out the job then that time, but very very pleased with the way we have played throughout the tournament and at the same point of time, how everyone contributed. That was calm, composed, you know he (KL Rahul) took his chances at the right point of time. I think this is what KL Rahul is. He has immense talent and I don't think anyone can hit the ball the way he can. I think that was just an exhibition of how he did today. I'm feeling ecstatic, to be honest. It's ineffable and hard to say it in words, to be honest. This is my first ICC trophy and I'm kind of overwhelmed looking at each and every one in the dressing room, the way we've turned up towards this tournament and the way we progressed. It was simply magnificent. To be honest, I love to go under pressure whenever there's a challenge. I feel I thrive under pressure and I love such moments. It's just that I've been getting amazing starts in the tournament and not able to get a big one. But at the end of the day, if I'm able to contribute to a team victory, that is immensely satisfying and I'm truly happy. My batting number is such that I'm either a hero or a zero at the end of the game. It was important that KL and Hardik did well in that partnership, them scoring runs was a game changing moment. The wicket wasn't easy going into batting at first. It's an important tournament, playing for India and winning the Champions Trophy for the country is big, you do regret when you don't be part of winning teams after having played for so many years. But I'm lucky that I've managed to be fit enough and performed at the highest level in winning the two tournaments, the 2024 T20 WC and the Champions Trophy now. Luckily (didn't have to go out and bat). Credit to KL (Rahul) bhai and Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai for finishing the game. There will be expectations when you are playing well. You get the tag of favourites but I don't believe in that tag. It is easy to say we are playing 4 spinners but it is very difficult to manage four spinners on the field. The way Rohit bhai managed it was outstanding. Because to read the batter, understand which batter will come out in certain situations, who should bowl when.. There is a lot of planning. It is not like it happens in one day. It was a plan since 2-3 days of how and what to bowl. We will party and the entire nation will party as well.