Rachin Ravindra named player of the Champions Trophy after defeat in Final

It was no doubt the silverware that Black Caps allrounder Rachin Ravindra had no interest in when he walked out to play in his maiden ICC final.

As the Black Caps stood around waiting for the trophy presentation following their four-wicket defeat to India in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, and claim their fourth runners-up medal at an ICC men’s event, Ravindra was called up to accept the player of the tournament award.

The 25-year-old missed the opening game with injury but still finished the top run-scorer of the Champions Trophy with 263 across four matches including centuries against Bangladesh in pool play and South Africa in the semifinals.

He couldn’t quite produce that magic in the final, making 37 from 29 balls at the top of the order before he was bowled by spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the 11th over.

Ravindra then played a key role with the ball, bowling 10 overs for the first time in 20 matches, finishing with 1-47 including the wicket of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.

But India were never really in danger as they chased down New Zealand’s target of 252 with six balls remaining.

“Certainly is bittersweet,” Ravindra said after accepting player of the tournament award.

“Was a glorious final. The individual accolades are great and playing for a team is great,” he added.

Two years after making his first impression on the world stage with three centuries at the 2023 World Cup, Ravindra again stepped up at an ICC event to lead the Black Caps into the final.

“I like playing tournament cricket because you are playing for a goal. Very proud of my past. Have so many people to thank. It would have been nice to have the icing on the cake with the trophy but cricket is a cruel game.

“All members of the squad have a part to play. There isn’t an established player or a newbie. We go about our business and play like a team.”

Ravindra joins Martin Crowe (1992 ODI World Cup), Kane Williamson (2019 ODI World Cup), Nicola Browne (2010 T20 World Cup), Suzie Bates (2013 ODI World Cup) and Amelia Kerr (2024 T20 World Cup) as New Zealanders to win the player of the tournament award at an ICC event.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission