In a moment that may not be as famous as MS Dhoni’s six over midwicket on that magical night in Mumbai, Ravindra Jadeja’s square leg slap will still be etched in cricket fans minds. This shot sealed India’s victory in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, India’s first 50 over title in 12 years. The emotions were flowing—Jadeja picked up a stump and danced, KL Rahul let out a roar of triumph, the team ran onto the field, they had chased down 252 with 4 wickets and 6 balls to spare and finally ended the long drought of a global title in this format.

While the end was exciting, there was a sense of Indians wouldn’t choke. Even when they had a mini collapse—3 wickets for 18 runs after Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma’s 100 plus partnership and then 2 wickets for 20 runs—there was no panic. The team showed incredible calm. After Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit went in quick succession, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steadied the ship with a 61 run partnership. After their dismissal, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya took charge and when Hardik fell, Rahul and Jadeja calmly guided the team to victory.

A Step Towards Redemption

While this win doesn’t erase the pain of the World Cup final loss just 15 months ago, it does cement India’s place as a top white ball team. The final was a microcosm of the tournament itself – India was always going to win. The skills were top notch – except for a few dropped catches – and the bench was deep. Every player in the XI contributed at least one match winning performance throughout the tournament.

India’s journey to the title was brutal – like Australia in the 2000s. The conditions in Dubai were tailor made for India and they exploited it with surgical precision. The spinners were the key but the seamers did their job well. Shami and Chakaravarthy were the joint highest wicket takers, Harshit Rana shone in both his games and Hardik Pandya was effective throughout.

A Balanced Batting Lineup

Batting contributions came from all corners of the order. Rohit provided explosive starts, Virat batted with his trademark style, Shubman Gill was solid, Shreyas Iyer was enterprising, KL Rahul adapted to the situation and Axar showed his clean striking abilities.

But the spinners were the real heroes, a rare combination of two left-arm spinners, a left-arm wrist spinner and an unorthodox leg-spinner. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav took 26 wickets between them, most of them at crucial times, at an economy rate of 4.5 runs per over.

The Spin Attack's Dominance

In the context of Indian cricket, this spin attack was unprecedented in its variety and impact. Varun Chakaravarthy, a leg-spinner who had leg-breaks, googlies, sliders and carrom balls in his arsenal, was precise. Whenever India were slipping, Rohit would call upon him and he would deliver. In the final he got an early breakthrough when he removed opener Will Young and then Glenn Phillips just when New Zealand were looking to accelerate.

Kuldeep Yadav is finally the bowler India thought he would become – a force in his own right. His ability to vary pace and bowl in a straight line was the key as he got rid of Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra and broke the back of the New Zealand batting.

Control and Economy in Bowling

The left-arm orthodox duo of Jadeja and Axar provided control and economy. Jadeja with his mastery of length and flat trajectory was relentless on the batsmen while Axar used angle and skid to make himself a bowler who couldn’t be targeted. The New Zealand batsmen were like Bedouins in a desert storm, flummoxed and unable to cope with the pressure. Together they conceded just one six and four boundaries and 125 dot balls in the innings. Their performance masked a poor day in the field where India dropped four catches.

A Collective Triumph

In short India’s Champions Trophy win was a collective effort, a proof of their strength, resilience and skill and a big milestone in their cricket journey and the fact they are top dogs in limited overs cricket.