A generation that once cherished a young Virat Kohli flaunting his pushups in the white jacket grew up to witness Shreyas Iyer swiftly execute his hook steps with his teammate Harshit Rana following suit. Twelve arduous years have passed, but the ecstasy is still unmatched. This was evident when the two stalwarts of Indian cricket—Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—both 35+, fathers of two kids each—chopped up two stumps and played Dandia. The champagne bath, the Virat Kohli hookstep recreation by Rana, Ravindra Jadeja, and Arshdeep Singh—each act carried a narrative of resilience, redemption, and sheer grit.. As Ravi Shastri told these boys, "Individual brilliance will only take you to a certain level, but it is a collective team effort that will take you across the finishing line." And his boys lived by it. Stripping away personal brilliance, the players shed off every ounce of personal insecurities to clutch the silverware. Starting from top to bottom, the playing XI has stories. Be it uncertainty in the squad to the gritty comebacks, this Indian endured it all. Read also: India Crushes New Zealand to Win ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Captain-Coach battles against uncertainty Getty Image The tournament started with a storm of controversies regarding India's legislative comfort for playing all their matches in Dubai. Even though India has agreed to travel to Pakistan, PCB had scheduled all their matches in Lahore, including the final. Thus, the murmurs of "undue advantage" for India in Dubai—did they ever hold weight? Speaking about uncertainty, the entire team hierarchy had been tied with ropes of scrutiny. From the coach to the celebrated duo, Ro-Ko, their futures dangled on a thread. After a frustrating defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, confusions crippled in regarding Rohit and Gautam Gambhir's longivity, if not Kohli's. The Champions Trophy was a gateway for the delay of final calls, but it didn't effect much, neither for the captain nor the coach. A rusty start in the tournament, but Rohit made sure to stand up when his team needed him the most and scored 76 runs, even though the stepout was unnecessary! Gambhir, resolute and unapologetic, took calls that invited scrutiny, whether it was dropping Rishabh Pant or backing Rana. But the results justified every bold move. Shreyas Iyer: The silent guard Getty Image 263 runs—two half centuries and two 40+ scores in the tournament—Shreyas Iyer stood as a silent, uncelebrated hero for India yet again. This man was snubbed from the Central contract after a great run in the 2023 ODI World Cup, was no where in scene for a year, yet ceaselessly grinds in domestic circuits. The middle order for the team rested on his bat—the bat of a man who wouldn't have made in the playing XI unless Virat Kohli got his knee strapped in the ODI against England. It may sound great and be called the "Champions mentality," but when his words exposed the haunting reality of a lone warrior: " "There is no one to support you other than yourself." Milestones may be coveted, but "Mr. Consistent" Iyer, without touching the mark, did enough to be the mark in the team. Read also: Rohit Sharma Forgets Champions Trophy After India's Historic Win Kannaur Lokesh Rahul: Man who turned trolls to love and admiration Getty Images When a diplomatic interview leaks the inner feelings, it brings out a raw picture, as when Rahul candidly admitted the feeling of abandonment after getting dropped after every good tour. Forget about tours; this man was made the scapegoat of India's defeat for his low innings in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. When the other side crumbled, it was him trying to hold the other end; he scored 66 runs off 107 balls. . Even Rahul himself conceded, in post-tournament reflections, that he had fallen short by 20-30 runs. This time, he ensured history wouldn’t repeat itself. Rahul, who had already established himself at No. 5, willingly slid at 6 to make space for Axar Patel. This "happy to contribute" man embraced his evolution—from an opener to the finisher. Be it anchoring or accelerating, he did it all. he numbers—140 runs—may seem modest, but the impact? Indisputable. His undefeated 41 in the semifinal against Australia was worth more than just figures. Read also: India is Celebrating a Glorious Champions Trophy 2025 Triumph The rise of Varun Chakravarthy, courtesy Gautam Gambhir Getty Image Tagged under the infamous "KKR quota," Varun Chakravarthy emerged from obscurity. Not even in the initial plans, he bulldozed his way in, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal at Gambhir’s behest. India needed an extra spinner—Gambhir saw none but Varun. And the "mystery spinner" repaid the faith. Against New Zealand in the final group stage match, he scalped five. Coincidence or calculated gamble? Irrelevant. He made himself undroppable. Two more wickets against Australia followed, including Travis Head’s prized scalp. Versus New Zealand again, he struck first, dismantling Will Young before removing Glenn Phillips. Even after taking a nasty blow to his foot, he hobbled through his spell, conceding just 45 runs. Shami's Comeback After the 2023 World Cup, he had had an ankle surgery, for which he was sidelined from international cricket for more than a year. Later, he suffered from knee swelling, for which he could not join the Indian team in Australia. Shami was included in the squad of the home series against England, hoping to replace the injured Jasprit Bumrah. Even though he did not regularly, it was him and Rana in Dubai as the major pace attack for India. Even though Rana was replaced, Shami stayed as the prime pacer in the tournament, picking up nine wickets in 5 matches. The Champions Trophy might just be a trophy, but behind the celebrations, there were those individual struggles, and a fight the 1% chance of survival. Perhaps that’s the essence of sport itself. As MS Dhoni famously said: "Till the full stop does not come; the sentence does not complete."