Priyanka Tiwari
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During the ICC Champions Trophy match against New Zealand, Varun Chakravarthy took 5 wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs. Chakravarthry was awarded Man of the Match due to his phenomenal bowling. But what will most certainly surprise you, is that in this match, another player of Team India deserved “Man of the Match” more than Chakravarthy. To summarize this event, India won against the formidable New Zealand team by 44 runs in the Group A match of the ICC champions Trophy on Sunday. India now leads Group A with victories over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. Now, Team India will face Australia in the Semi-Finals on March 4.
No other player comes close in the award for the best performance, ‘Man of the Match’, and were the only contenders this player was.
In the pivotal match against New Zeland, it was not Varun Chakravarthy, but some another outstanding player who deserved the ‘Man Of The Match’ award. Varun Chakravarthy singular performance eclipsed that players effort. This strong player of Team India is none other than middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer. There was open injustice with Shreyas Iyer. This star player who led India to win the match was not even among the top contenders for best player of the match. In his epic battle against the New Zeland, Shreyas Iyer showcased why he is regarded as among the finest match winners in India, wanting to prove a point.
Team India was pulled out from the jaws of defeat
Shreyas Iyer demonstrated his impeccable form with the bat, coming in to bat with India in a position of 22/2. Shreyas Iyer firmly held one end together. Following the dismal performance by the top three candidates, Shreyas Iyer along with Axar Patel placed India in a winning position. Shreyas Iyer paired with Axar Patel managed to score 98 from 136 balls for the fourth wicket, placing India in a defendable position. Axar Patel scored 42 runs of 60 balls while Shreyas scored 79 runs in 98 balls to score his fourth half-century in the last six innings.
The most notable shift in the match.
Had Shreyas Iyer not scored 79 runs off 98 balls, India would likely have had the unsatisfying total of 200 runs. Additionally, even if five wickets were taken by Varun Chakravarthy, India’s victory was not a certainty. To elaborate, after India was asked to bat first, they scored a total of 249 runs for 9 wickets by Shreyas Iyer’s 79 runs and then bowled out New Zealand for a total of 205 runs in 45.3 overs. The difference in score between India and New Zealand was the narrowest of 44 runs. Hence, Iyer’s performance in the match was deserving of the award, making him the ‘Man of the Match’.
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