Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his opinion of ICC's verdict on choosing the Player Of The Tournament. The ICC awarded it to Rachin Ravindra as he ended up becoming the highest scorer of the tournament. The southpaw scored 263 runs in four games at an average of 65.75 including two centuries.
Ravindra's batting skills was on view in the tournament as he scored two centuries. He scored a century in New Zealand's very first match against Bangladesh. His second ton was against South Africa which was the second semi-final of the tournament.
Meanwhile, R Ashwin picked Varun Chakravarthy as his Player Of The Tournament. Varun ended the tournament with nine wickets and played a massive part in India's CT title win. In the process, he avenged his performances from the last time he played international cricket in Dubai which was in the T20 World Cup 2021 where he remained wicketless.
Varun Chakravarthy Picked 9 Wickets In The Champions Trophy
For the unversed, Chakravarthy wasn't part of India's initial Champions Trophy squad and was only added after he impressed in the white-ball series against England. Ashwin, meanwhile, said that ICC did not do justice in their selection of the Player Of The Tournament.
"Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakaravarthy. He didn't play the entire tournament. He was such a big difference. If Varun Chakaravarthy wasn't there, I think this game would have been very different. He brought that X-factor and the novelty factor. If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference," Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.
He further praised Varun for dismissing Glenn Phillips with a googly. The veteran Indian bowler also described it to perfection in his explanation as well.
"Just look at how he dismissed Glenn Phillips. He wasn't covering the stumps, so Varun went wide of the crease and bowled that googly. In my view, Varun has to be the Player of the Series. The award should be given to someone who made the biggest difference. Varun Chakaravarthy deserves the Player of the Series award," he added.
He concluded by praising Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir for the way they handled the team on their way to winning the ICC Champions Trophy title. He said that after losing the Test series to New Zealand and losing Jasprit Bumrah due to injury, the coach played a massive role in his team's victory.
"I am so happy for Rohit and Gautam Gambhir. Just spare a thought for GG. What must he be going through? Losing Test series against New Zealand, you have been losing a few. But you made a remarkable decision. There was no Jasprit Bumrah. Remarkably, this Indian team won the Champions Trophy without Bumrah. What does it tell you? Where does it leave Indian cricket? I am so happy. I think the world will take some time to catch up with Indian cricket," he said.
After the Champions Trophy victory, the top Indian cricketers will return back to competitive cricket in IPL 2025.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Sunil Gavaskar Silences Criticism On India Enjoying "Unfair Advantage" In Dubai
