Cricketing hero Virat Kohli has praised his teammates for all stepping up at various points in their successful ICC Champions Trophy 2025 mission.

In the Final, it was Rohit Sharma that led the way. In the semi-final, it was Virat Kohli with the bat and Mohammed Shami with the ball, among others.

India won five straight games to claim the Champions Trophy 2025 and in each of those contests, a handful of their star players shone bright.

Those contributions led to another title-yielding run in a major ICC event. And Kohli exemplified that in Dubai, scoring an unbeaten ton against Pakistan and a crucial 84 off 98 balls against Australia to help his side qualify for the decider.

“I think to win titles, which has been missing in the past, the whole team must step up in different games,” Kohli said after India’s memorable Final win against New Zealand.

“If you look at this tournament, over the course of five matches, everyone has put their hand up somewhere or another.

“These are the things, after playing for so long, you look forward to. Being in situations where you are put under pressure, and you walk in, and you put your hand up.”

After Rohit took full advantage of the new ball, it was Shreyas Iyer that came in and played a commanding helping hand, as India went about surging towards the Black Caps’ total of 251.

Shreyas scored a clutch 48 through the middle overs, where runs had proven infamously hard to come by on the Dubai surface, which was enough to set up KL Rahul for finishing duties, with one over to spare.

“That is why we ended up winning this tournament,” Kohli continued.

“People have made such impactful knocks and produced such impactful spells, and it is only a collective effort that can win you a title. I am just so happy we were able to play as a unit and really enjoy ourselves. We have had such an amazing time as a team. It has been an amazing tournament for us.”

Kohli believes the future is bright for India, with the experienced batter now tipping a prolonged period of dominance in the coming years.

“We have the squad that is ready to take on the world in the next eight to 10 years and these guys definitely have the talent to do so,” Kohli said.

“They have stepped up already with so many impactful innings that this guy (Gill) has played. Shreyas beautiful, KL (Rahul) has been finishing games and Hardik (Pandya) is a match-winner so we are in good hands.”

One of the stories of the Champions Trophy has been India’s mid-campaign inclusion of Varun Chakaravarthy, who took 5/42 against the Kiwis in the group stage, in his first tournament appearance.

He would go on to become a crucial member of India’s knockout stage run, finishing with nine wickets from his three games.

Chakaravarthy was a key cog in his side’s spin bowling cartel that, game after game, choked the life out of their opponent’s batting innings.

Kuldeep Yadav was the other slow bowler that reaped rewards, picking up two scalps in the Final, while Ravindra Jadeja’s accurate and quality execution was also on full display, finishing with figures of 1/30 off 10 overs.

New Zealand’s captain Mitchell Santner was full of praise for India’s attack.

“It was good bowling,” Santner said.

“We lost a couple of wickets after the powerplay and then they really got the squeeze on. Credit to the way their spinners bowled, all four of them. They are world class bowlers, and they showed that again today.”

It’s now back-to-back ICC events for India’s Men’s team, after their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup success last year.

It sets them up to be the team to beat at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2028.

Indian players spoke about riding the momentum they have created through their dominance in ICC tournaments. And that certainly shone through on the big stage in Dubai.

FIFA announced this week that the prize pool for this year’s Club World Cup has been set at a staggering $1 billion.

The Club World Cup, which will take place from June 14 to July 13 in the United States, will see 32 of the world’s top teams battle it out for the trophy.

FIFA stated that anticipated revenue from the tournament will total $2 billion, therefore allowing FIFA’s reserves to stay intact. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement that part of the generated funds will be allocated to club football worldwide.

“FIFA will not keep a single dollar,” he said.

This announcement comes a little more than three months before the opening match in Miami – and on the eve of the start of the 100-day countdown.

Sixty three matches will be held across 12 US cities.

Teams qualified across four seasons by winning titles or through consistent performances in continental club competitions until 2024.

Reasons you can’t miss the Club World Cup

From star players through standout fixtures to stunning stadiums, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is expected to be an unmissable event.

USA will move to the centre of the football world this June and July when the country plays host to the groundbreaking global event which will showcase the 32 most successful club sides from each of the six continental confederations.

From Messi to Mbappe, Cavani to Kane, with Haaland, Vini Jr, Griezmann and scores of other icons sprinkled in for good measure, this tournament will be illuminated by some of the global game’s greatest players.

As well as established icons, the Club World Cup will also give its global audience a glimpse of some of the sport’s most exciting and talked-about youngsters.

Following December’s draw, fans can expect some heavyweight clashes.

Even the trophy is an extravaganza in itself, having been crafted in collaboration with iconic jeweller Tiffany & Co.

Lewis Hamilton will have a first impression of how his Ferrari rates against the rest when Formula One starts three days of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday with a new crop of cars and drivers.

The seven times world champion, who moved from Mercedes at the end of last season and is now 40, will also be able to compare his lap times to those of teammate Charles Leclerc, Reuters reported.

The test is the only one before the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne kicks off the 24-race season on March 16, a round which will also be a first season-opener for six of the 20 drivers.

A huge buzz surrounds Hamilton and everyone is waiting to see how he fares in what promises to be an epic year with no shortage of storylines around the paddock.

He has driven the SF-25 for a filming day and also worn the red overalls at the wheel of older cars, but Wednesday will be his first official session with Ferrari running alongside rivals, Reuters reported.

The last time Hamilton experienced such a first day was when he joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013.

Normally no fan of testing, because of the repetitive nature of tasks and lack of racing thrills, Hamilton has seemed genuinely delighted at the prospect and completely up for the occasion.

He has joked about eating plenty of pizza since he arrived in Italy but more seriously he claims to be feeling fitter and more energised than ever as he bids for a record eighth championship.

Wednesday will see Max Verstappen, chasing his fifth successive drivers’ title, get to grips with the first Red Bull since the departure to Aston Martin of star designer Adrian Newey.

New Zealander Liam Lawson, who has competed in 11 races as a stand-in replacement, and Verstappen drove the RB21 for a limited-mileage filming day on Tuesday and both will share the driving on Wednesday. (Reuters)