Courtesy: BCCI
Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin disclosed how MS Dhoni’s tactic helped him get rid of England’s top-order batter Jonathan Trott in the 2013 Champions Trophy final played against England in Birmingham. The final game between both sides was curtailed due to rain and India, who were put to bat first after the toss, could accumulate 129/7 total in 20 overs before restricing England to 124/8.
Ashwin recently appeared on an episode of JioHotstar’s Unbeaten: Dhoni Dynamites and recollected the 2013 Champions Trophy memories. The right-handed bowler also revealed how Dhoni’s tactical approach helped him get the better of Trott, who could’ve posed a threat to Team India. “I still remember Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai came up to me and said, ‘Don’t bowl over the stumps to Trott; bowl from around the wicket. He’ll try to play on the leg side, and if the ball spins, he’ll get stumped.’ I still can’t believe how he predicted that,” said the off-break bowler.
A match-changing moment of the game happened when Ishant Sharma was brought back into the attack by Dhoni and the pacer dismissed settled Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara on back-to-back deliveries. Following the departure of both batters, the English side’s confidence shook and they fell five runs short in the end.
India will look to clinch the title again after 12 years
Team India, who will leave for Dubai to participate in the Champions Trophy 2025, will endeavour to bring the coveted trophy back home after 12 years under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Ahead of the massive 50-over competition to be held in Pakistan and Dubai, the Men in Blue looked at their best and whitewashed England by a 3-0 margin in the three-match ODI series at home.
Team India are placed in Group A along with the hosts Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma and his men will play their all group games in Dubai, starting the campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. The tournament’s high-profile match between India and Pakistan will be played on February 23. India’s final group match against New Zealand will take place on March 2.
