Dilip Vengsarkar, a former batsman for India, has praised Shreyas Iyer for his outstanding batting achievements for the Men in Blue during the 2025 Champions Trophy. The 68-year-old was not persuaded by the way the No. 4 batter was struck out in the final versus the Blackcaps, but he did give Shreyas Iyer credit for “realizing his potential.” The comments were made after the batter, who had scored 48 runs, holed out to Ravindra at long-on off Mitchell Santner’s bowling.
India, who dominated the competition, got off to a fast start chasing 252 but lost three wickets for 17 runs, including Virat Kohli for one and skipper Rohit Sharma for 76. Axar Patel holed out on 29 to leave 49 runs from 51 balls, while Shreyas Iyer followed for 48. With an over remaining, Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs as KL Rahul finished 34 not out after Hardik Pandya brought India closer after he was dismissed for 18.
India’s spinners once again impressed by keeping New Zealand to 251-7, which is why they always felt in control of the match. India’s status as the top white-ball team in the world is confirmed by the victory.
Happy To See Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Axar Patel doing well- Dilip Vengserkar
Additionally, Vengsarkar saved particular recognition for KL Rahul. Going forward, he wants the batsman-wicketkeeper to play before Axar Patel. According to Indian Express, he stated:
“Shreyas Iyer did very well but I am not happy 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 realize his potential.”
“KL too played a few important innings at number six but still not convinced Axar Patel batting ahead of him at five. The left-hand righthand combination could be the only reason,” he added
Only Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand scored more runs than Shreyas Iyer, who finished as the second-highest leading scorer in the Champions Trophy (263). In five innings, the 30-year-old scored 243 runs at an average of 48.60, including two half-centuries.
Rahul, meanwhile, amassed 140 runs across four innings. With scores of 42* and 34*, respectively, he led India to victory in the semifinal match against Australia and the summit match against the Kiwis.
Credit needs to go to selectors- Dilip Vengserkar
Following India’s 2025 Champions Trophy victory, Dilip Vengsarkar also praised the selectors. The 1983 World Cup champion also gave the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee credit for selecting five spinners for the ICC ODI tournament and sticking with India captain Rohit Sharma.
He said : “Credit needs to go to the selectors as well. They stuck with Rohit after the Australia series. Even the decision to take five spinners in the squad proved to be a masterstroke.”
Rohit Sharma guided India to back-to-back ICC titles, including the 2024 T20 World Cup, with the 2025 Champions Trophy victory.
The two most notable spinners for India were Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, who took nine and seven wickets, respectively. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja each took five wickets.