Sanjay Bangar, who was the batting coach of the Indian team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, revealed the massive blunder captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble and leadership group made in the final of the event against Pakistan.

India had a successful run in the 50-over event, reaching the final, where they met arch-foe Pakistan. To everyone's amazement, Pakistan defeated the Men in Blue by 180 runs in the summit battle, clinching their first Champions Trophy victory.

Bangar recalled the high-voltage confrontation and admitted that the team erred by winning the toss and bowling first in the match.  

The former batting coach also admitted that the entire team management, including himself, captain Virat Kohli, head coach Anil Kumble, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni, among others, made the wrong call since it was an excellent day to bat first.

"We made a mistake that day. We should have batted after winning the toss because, in England, you always look up – whether there are clouds. And it was a sunny day entirely. I felt that the decisions that were made and the team management who was part of that call were wrong. I, too, was part of that team. So the captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble, senior player MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma... everybody was a part of it. It wasn't a one-man decision," Bangar said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo.

Thanks to 59 by Azhar Ali 114, by Fakhar Zaman, and a quick 57* by Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan posted 338/4 in 50 overs. In response, India lost the top order for cheap, getting reduced to 72/6 in no time.

But then, Hardik Pandya played a blinder of an innings, scoring 76 in 43 balls with 6 sixes and 4 fours, and his knock came to an end due to a run out in a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja. Hardik was distraught and fumed his way back to the pavilion as India got all out for 158 runs and lost by 180 runs.

"When Hardik and Jadeja were batting, the target was too steep even then. He played a good innings and struck some big sixes, but barring that, we were out of the game when we lost the top order. Hardik was fuming, but he didn't let that frustration out on his teammate. It was more on himself in a way that 'I could have won this match for India'. In such a scenario, the player should be left alone," added Bangar.

The ICC Champions Trophy returns after 8 years and will be played in Pakistan and UAE. India will play its matches in Dubai and will begin the tournament on February 20 against Bangladesh. They will then clash with Pakistan on February 23 and will face New Zealand on March 2 in their last Group A match.