Young India delight MS
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was thrilled by the performance of his youthful side after they snatched a five-run win over England in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston.
Ravindra Jadeja, the most successful bowler in the tournament with 12 wickets, was named man-of-the-match.
Jadeja first made a rapid 33 not out, which saw him share a partnership of 47 with Virat Kohli (43), before taking two for 24 with his left-arm spin in front of an overwhelmingly pro-Indian capacity crowd.
The 24-year-old was nicknamed "rockstar" by Australia great Shane Warne, his Indian Premier League captain at the Rajasthan Royals, because of his confidence in his own ability.
And that confidence was there for all to see after India were reduced to 66 for five batting first after losing the toss.
"Jadeja is someone who keeps it very simple," said Dhoni.
"He just looks for the right area and the ball does the talking. The good part was he contributed with the bat, which I feel is very important because he's someone who will have to bat at number seven.
"Now what we have seen is you can't play with six batsmen and five bowlers. You know, the seven number slot is very crucial," wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni added.
Meanwhile Jadeja said: "The [Edgbaston] wicket was slow and it was difficult to rotate the strike so myself and Virat Kohli built up a good partnership.
"I enjoyed bowling on this wicket, the ball was gripping and I was bowling to my strength."
India opener Shikhar Dhawan was named player-of-the-tournament after scoring 363 runs in five matches, including two hundreds, at an average of 90.75 and an impressive strike-rate of 101.39.
His 31 in the final was his most meagre effort of the tournament but, in the context of a low-scoring match, the 27-year-old left-hander's runs were valuable all the same.
"I think Shikhar, he has just carried forward his confidence from the Test innings that he played," said Dhoni.
"He's a slightly different character, but a fun-loving guy. At the same time, he backs himself to play those big strokes that he plays."
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced a cash prize of 1 crore rupees to every playing member of the Indian cricket team and 30 lakh rupees to every support staff member following India's win in the Champions Trophy.
This was disclosed in a statement by Sanjay Patel, the honorary secretary of the cricket board.
Comments