Champions Trophy: Kohli, Iyer playing well is biggest takeaway for India, says Paranjape
New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) Jatin Paranjape, the former India cricketer and national selector, believes Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer playing well as a pair was the biggest takeaway for the Rohit Sharma-led side in their absorbing five-wicket win over Australia in the semifinal in Dubai.
On a tricky pitch at the Dubai International Stadium, Kohli made a masterly 84 off 98 balls, while Iyer hit 45 off 62 balls as India chased down 265 with 11 balls to spare and sealed their place in the title clash in Dubai on Sunday.
The Kohli-Iyer partnership for the third wicket was worth 91 runs. “Kohli and Iyer played well together, and this is probably the biggest takeaway for India. If they can bat for a large number of middle overs, then that sets the stall up for a successful promotion for Axar Patel and number six batter (KL Rahul),” Paranjape, a member of BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee and co-founder of KheloMore, told IANS on Wednesday.
With the ball, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami stood out for India with figures of 3-48. “Shami at the top was at his best and showed that he can be relied upon to shoulder the weight of the entire bowling attack. He is bowling with genuine pace and improved accuracy”, added Paranjape.
Wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy took two scalps, including that of the dangerous Travis Head, in the power-play. “He is a huge embellishment to India’s already strong spin prowess and has a fantastic future ahead of him. He will be a big asset as India prepares its 2027 World Cup Plan.”
“Beating Australia is always a very tall order, but India executed their strategy with clinical measures to march into the final. All in all, a super execution by India against a dreaded team,” stated Paranjape.
The winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore will decide who India will meet in the title clash. Paranjape signed off by predicting that captain Rohit Sharma would play a big knock in the final.
So far, Rohit has amassed scores of 41, 20, 15 and 28 in the 2025 Champions Trophy. “With the bat, Rohit Sharma is looking very focused and aggressive at the same time. A big score in the final from him will not surprise me one bit”.
–IANS
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