"He puts fear in bowlers" - Mitchell Santner on Team India star after 2025 Champions Trophy final

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner praised his opposite number Rohit Sharma for a breathtaking knock in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai on March 9. Chasing 252 for victory, the Indian captain went all guns blazing in the powerplay and finished with a masterful 76 off 83 deliveries.

Despite a few hiccups post Rohit's dismissal, Team India ultimately achieved the target in 49 overs with four wickets to spare. Rohit provided India with fast starts in the previous matches but failed to register a half-century before the final.

Talking about the Indian captain post-match, Santner said (Via India Today):

"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 dovetail well. Shubman will wait for a bad ball, but Rohit is pretty happy to hit bowlers off their lengths."

He added:

"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.

Apart from his batting heroics in the final, Rohit also marshaled the troops in style after New Zealand's rapid start in their batting essay. Team India completed a memorable run by winning the 2025 Champions Trophy without losing a single game in the journey.

"It's kind of bittersweet at the end" - Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner felt dejected at his side falling to India in the final with a Champions Trophy victory in sight. While hailing New Zealand's overall performances through the tournament, he pointed to a slightly below-par with the bat and Rohit Sharma's sparkling knock as the reasons behind their final defeat.

"I guess it's kind of bittersweet at the end. I think we came up against a good side in the final but yeah you know we challenged in there at times throughout this game, which was pleasing and I think there was probably a couple of small moments where we let it get away from us, but yeah incredibly proud of this group the way we've kind of gone about it throughout this tournament," said Santner.

He continued:

"Different guys stepping up at different times throughout the tournament which has been outstanding and we came up against a very good team today. We were in the game for most of it but it was kind of we probably left maybe 20 runs out there with the bat and then I think the way Rohit Sharma played kind of took it away from us a little bit."

It was New Zealand's third finals loss in an ICC white-ball event since 2019, with the side still searching for a white-ball silverware since the 2000 Champions Trophy triumph.