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Rohit Sharma led from the front as Team India beat New Zealand by four wickets on Sunday, March 9, in Dubai to win the 2025 Champions Trophy. As a result, the Men in Blue became the only team to win the ICC event three times.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bat first. Riding on half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell, the Blackcaps posted 251 in their 50 overs. India got off to an excellent start in the run chase, thanks to Rohit's explosive batting in the powerplay.
He scored 76 runs to set up the platform for the run chase before Shreyas Iyer (48) and KL Rahul (34*) took the team home with significant contributions. Rohit was awarded the Player of the Match for his impactful knock, and he joined an elite list of captains who have won the Player of the Match award in an ICC tournament finals.
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On that note, let's look at four captains who have been the Player of the Match in an ICC tournament finals.
#1 Clive Lloyd - 1975 ICC ODI World Cup
West Indian great Clive Lloyd became the first captain in history to win the Player of the Match award in an ICC event final. The incident took place in the 1975 ODI World Cup final against Australia at Lord's.
Batting first, the West Indies were reduced to 50/3. Rohan Kanhai and Lloyd began the rebuilding process, adding 149 runs for the fourth wicket. The West Indies skipper was the aggressor, taking the Aussies bowlers head on despite being under pressure.
Lloyd smashed a breathtaking hundred off just 85 deliveries, including 12 boundaries and two sixes, to propel his side to 291 in 60 overs. He also picked up one wicket and conceded only 38 runs from 12 overs, as Australia were bundled out for 274 runs.
The legendary West Indian was named the Player of the Match for his all-round effort in the final.
#2 Ricky Ponting - 2003 ICC ODI World Cup
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting is one of the most successful captains in the history of the sport. He enjoys an unimaginable record in ODI World Cups, winning 26 out of 29 matches he has led Australia in. Ponting lost two, while one match yielded no result.
His most iconic knock in his ODI career came during the 2003 ODI World Cup final against India in Johannesburg. Batting first, the Aussies powered their way to 359/2 in 50 overs. After Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden gave the side a good start, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martin stitched together an unbeaten 234-run partnership to put the team on top.
Ponting, in particular, demolished every single Indian bowler on his way to an unbeaten 140 off 121 deliveries. The right-hander struck four boundaries and eight towering sixes in his knock.
In reply, Australia skittled the Men in Blue for 234 runs to win the World Cup comprehensively. Ponting was awarded the Player of the Match for his herculean effort with the bat.
#3 MS Dhoni - 2011 ICC ODI World Cup
The wicketkeeper-batter is arguably the greatest-ever finisher Indian cricketer has seen. His ability to pace a run chase makes him stand apart from his contemporaries.
MS Dhoni played perhaps the best innings of his ODI career during the 2011 ODI World Cup final in Mumbai and ended India's 28-year-long drought of winning an ICC event.
Chasing 275, the hosts lost openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar within the first seven overs. Virat Kohli also followed the suit after getting set. With the run chase getting increasingly difficult, Dhoni promoted himself ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh.
The move paid dividends as Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir (97) shared a match-winning partnership. The former smacked a six over the bowler's head to end India's long wait for an ODI World Cup title. He remained unbeaten on 91 off 79 deliveries, including eight boundaries and two sixes, and was deservedly named the Player of the Match.
#4 Rohit Sharma - 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
There were doubts about Rohit Sharma's batting form ahead of the Champions Trophy final on Sunday. Many were also of the opinion that he might announce his retirement should the Men in Blue lift the title.
The 37-year-old got starts in most of India's matches but couldn't convert them into big knocks. However, Rohit rose to the occasion when it mattered the most for his side.
Chasing 252 for the Champions Trophy title, Rohit gave India a solid start, sharing a 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill. The former was aggressive in the powerplay, using the field restrictions to great effect.
Rohit smacked seven boundaries and two sixes for his 76 off 83 deliveries to set the platform for the batters to follow. While the Kiwis kept throwing challenges, the Indian batters fended them well to cross the line easily.
The Indian skipper was awarded the Player of the Match for his game-changing knock in the final.
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