India, March 9 -- Virat Kohli was in Rohit Sharma's ears. He obviously did all the talking and Rohit, the Indian captain, listened attentively. This was not the first time Kohli was offering his wisdom to Rohit in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He had done the same when Australia's Steve Smith and Alex Carey were going strong in the semi-final. Whenever there is a threatening partnership brewing or the opposition is just starting to take the game away from India's grip, Kohli springs into action. He did the same in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.

After New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat, openers Rachin Ravindra and Will Young gave them a flying start. India's new-ball bow...