"He even asked Kohli why he was hitting" - Aakash Chopra lauds KL Rahul's performances in 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded KL Rahul for his responsible performances throughout the 2025 Champions Trophy. He pointed out that Rahul took it upon himself to take India over the line, even questioning a set Virat Kohli for losing his wicket while attempting a big shot in the semi-final against Australia when the wicketkeeper-batter was playing aggressively.

New Zealand set India a 252-run target in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. Rahul scored an unbeaten 34 off 33 deliveries in the chase to help the Men in Blue register a four-wicket win with an over to spare.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the cricketer-turned-commentator praised Rahul for his calming influence in the middle throughout the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"KL Rahul is blamed whenever anything goes wrong. However, the way he has played in this entire tournament. Axar Patel comes at No. 5 and he (Rahul) plays at No. 6. The No. 6 guy gets to bat only when there is a little pressure, and this is the sort of pitch where batting keeps getting tougher as the old gets older," he said (6:50).

"The six he hit off (Mitchell) Santner's bowling, there were many pivotal moments like that. Run-a-ball was required to be scored and he did that. He stood till the end. He is the one who gives you calmness. In fact, in the last match, he even asked Kohli why he was hitting as he (Rahul) would take the risk. He takes the responsibility to help his partner reach a hundred," Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra noted that KL Rahul is the ultimate team man who took to the No. 6 position and the wicketkeeper's role like fish to water. He added that the 2025 Champions Trophy triumph was a slight redemption for the Karnataka player, highlighting that he struck the winning hit in the semi-final and remained unbeaten in the final.

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"The focus is more on players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" - Aakash Chopra lauds Shreyas Iyer's performances in 2025 Champions Trophy

Shreyas Iyer scored 48 runs off 62 deliveries in the 2025 Champions Trophy final. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer for performing consistently throughout the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"I am going to talk about Iyer. Maybe slightly lesser popular choice because the focus is more on players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. An interesting stat was that his strike rate has always been better than his partner. It means he removes the pressure from his partner," he said (4:10).

The former India opener noted that the middle-order batter ensured that the Men in Blue were never behind the eight ball whilst he was at the crease.

"Until he is on the ground, he keeps you slightly ahead in the game. You don't expect eight to ten runs per over on these kinds of pitches, but you don't want wickets to fall and want five to six runs per over being scored. He does that job easily and did that in this match too. Shreyas Iyer is the new Shreyas Mr Consistent Iyer," Chopra elaborated.

With 243 runs at an average of 48.60 in five innings, Shreyas Iyer was India's highest run-getter in the 2025 Champions Trophy. KL Rahul amassed 140 runs in four innings and was dismissed only once in the tournament.