Indian stars from the 2013 Champions Trophy winning team and what they are up to now
It was almost evident that England would win the game at home with only 130 to chase in the grand final. However, MS Dhoni and India stole the Trophy from within the grasp of the English team.
India went into the 2013 Champions Trophy as underdogs even after winning the highest trophy available at the International level- The World Cup. India won the World Cup in 2011 thanks to the efforts of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni in the remarkable chase against the Asian neighbors Sri Lanka. The win not only redeemed India’s position at the top of the International arena but also rejoiced them after the bitter exit in the 2007 World Cup.
India, going into the tournament made several changes to the squad with many key players missing out, with the likes of Sehwag and Tendulkar calling it a day from International cricket. The selectors recalled Dinesh Karthik in for the tournament after his form in the domestic season, following it with impressive displays in the IPL.
The finals, however, ended up as a T20 spectacle after rain called it in its favor. India managed to get only 129 from the 20 overs in the first innings of the Finals. It was almost but evident that England would win the game at home with only 130 to chase in a grand final. However, MS Dhoni and India had other plans, with Ashwin and Jadeja stealing the Trophy from within the grasp of the English team.
Let’s take a look at what the members of the Champions Trophy winning team are up to now:
#1 Rohit Sharma
The talented Mumbaikar since the Champions Trophy has taken the world by storm with two double hundreds in the 50-over format of the game. Rohit Sharma has gone on to become one of India’s consistent opener in ODI cricket.
The right-handed opener scored his first double hundred of 209 against the visiting Australia team at the batting paradise- Chinnaswamy Stadium. This knock helped him grow in confidence and stature. The opener then made the highest ever individual score at this level with a 264 against the Asian neighbors Sri Lanka, a knock which the opener felt was special.
He is picked in the squad for the Champions Trophy once again and he would be hoping to return with similar performance like the last time.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan’s performances in the 2013 Champions Trophy was nothing short of a dream run or a purple patch which cemented his position at the top of the order for the national team. However, since then, the opener has been rather inconsistent with his knocks and has lost a place to the talented 25-year-old opener from Mangalore- KL Rahul.
However, things turned around for Indian opener in the Indian Premier League with good knocks at the top of the order for his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. With KL Rahul pulling himself out of the Champions Trophy, he is in the squad once more and if he repeats his heroics from the previous tournament, India would be the favorites to lift the trophy.
#3 Virat Kohli
The right-handed middle-order batsman from Delhi has grown in stature to become World’s best player in recent times. The confidence and the attitude ooze out every time Virat Kohli walks out to bat. He has also taken over the captaincy from the 2011- World Cup winner MS Dhoni.
The right-hander has gone on to notch up big scores and consistent scores while chasing, which has helped Team India win a plethora of matches during the last five years. It was Kohli’s knock in the 2013 Champions Trophy that helped India to get to a decent total in the final against England.
Kohli, however, would want to get back into form after a shoulder injury ruled him out of the last Test against Australia and a rather dismal show in the Indian Premier League.
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