Ricky Ponting has snubbed the veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as he credited the all-rounders of the Indian team for their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. India defeated New Zealand in the final of the ICC event in Dubai to win by four wickets and become three-time champions.

India’s star batter Virat Kohli praised the team’s collective effort during their Champions Trophy campaign after they lifted their third title on Sunday.

Virat Kohli struck fifties in the last two ICC finals India played — at the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024.

Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel—were named in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament for their outstanding performances throughout the competition. Their contributions were instrumental in India’s path to victory.

India's Kohli slots in at number three after he finished fifth in the run-scoring charts with 218 at an average of 54.50.

They defeated New Zealand, Goliaths of overachievement, in the Champions Trophy final and the whole cricket world rejoiced. Or at least the biggest contributors to cricket's economy rejoiced, which pretty much amounts to the same thing.