Harshit Rana, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma return home after Champions Trophy triumph

NEW DELHI: After India’s victorious campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy, key members of the squad have returned home to a warm reception on Monday.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi from Dubai, expressed his emotions after the historic win. “I really felt happy,” he told ANI, reflecting on India’s triumph.

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir also landed in Delhi, marking his return after successfully guiding the team to the prestigious title.

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Meanwhile, Indian captain Rohit Sharma arrived in Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, accompanied by his family. The veteran opener played a crucial role in leading India to yet another ICC trophy.

The Men in Blue skipper was awarded the Player of the Match for his brilliant performance in the championship game. He played an exceptional knock of 76 runs from 83 balls, which was laced with seven boundaries and three maximums.

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first.

Kiwis got off to a fine start with a 57-run stand between Will Young (15) and Rachin Ravindra (37 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and a six). However, Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) applied some breaks and reduced NZ to 75/3.

A 57-run stand between Daryl Mitchell (63 in 101 balls, with three fours) and Michael Bracewell pushed Kiwis towards 150-plus runs. Bracewell played a fine hand of 53* in 40 balls, with three fours and two sixes, taking NZ to 251/7 in their 50 overs.

Kuldeep (2/40) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) were the top wicket-takers for India. Mohammed Shami also took a wicket, but conceded 74 runs in his nine overs. (ANI)