Shreyas Iyer was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 243 runs in 5 matches at an average of 48.60.
Former BCCI chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar praised Shreyas Iyer for his exploits in the Champions Trophy but expressed his disappointment at the way he got out in the final and didn’t bat till the end. Shreyas was one of the pivotal pillars of India’s incredible campaign, as he was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 243 runs in 5 matches at an average of 48.60. The 30-year-old was the glue to the Indian batting line-up as he rescued India on numerous occasions with his sensible batting in the middle overs.
Shreyas Iyer was the highest run-getter for India in the Champions Trophy 2025.(PTI)
Iyer scored 48 in the Champions Trophy final and stabilised the Indian innings after the big guns Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell in quick succession. However, he failed to complete his fifty and was dismissed by Mitchell Santner when India still needed 69 runs. Vengsarker felt that Iyer should have stayed till the end.
“Iyer did very well but I am not happy [with] the way he got out in the final. He should have continued till the very end and finished the game. But happy to see him realise his potential,” Vengsarkar told PTI.
The veteran cricketer was also impressed with KL Rahul’s batting in the lower-middle order. Rahul was preferred over explosive Rishabh Pant at the number 6 spot, and the 32-year-old lived up to the expectations of the head coach and skipper and played crucial knocks in the semifinal and final to take India over the line. He was demoted to number 6 below all-rounder Axar Patel, but that didn’t shook his confidence, as he was ready to be the quintessential team man once again with whatever the team demanded him to be.
Rahul remained unbeaten on 34 off 33 balls in the final as his presence in the middle helped the other batters to play their shots freely.
‘Not convinced Axar Patel batting ahead of KL Rahul’
However, Vengsarkar still feels that Rahul should bat above Axar at the number 5 spot but he suggested that the management took the decision to main left-hand right-hand combination.
KL too played a few important innings at number six but [I am] still not convinced [about] Axar Patel batting ahead of him at five. The left-hand right-hand combination could be the only reason,” he said.
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