India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team: India have been unstoppable in the Champions Trophy 2025, winning all their matches so far, including a dominant performance against Australia in the semifinal. As they gear up for the final, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has pointed out a few key areas where the team can improve despite their impressive run.
Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar emphasized the need for stronger starts from the openers and more wicket-taking efforts in the powerplay and middle overs. While India have effectively controlled the run flow, they have not managed to take enough wickets at crucial moments, which could be a concern in the final.
“They haven’t really got the kind of start they had hoped for from the openers. That has not happened. So clearly, there’s a shortcoming over there. Even with the new ball, in the first 10 overs, you definitely want to take 2 or 3 wickets. That hasn’t quite happened either. In the middle overs, while runs haven’t been flowing, wickets have not come either. If they can improve in these areas, their chances of winning the final will be much stronger,” Gavaskar explained.
Despite these concerns, Gavaskar believes that India should not tinker with their playing XI and should continue with their strategy of playing four spinners. The inclusion of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav has strengthened India’s bowling attack, making it a potent force in the tournament.
“I think it has to be four spinners. Why change now? Chakravarthy and Kuldeep have proven how effective they can be. Wicket-taking deliveries are the best dot balls in limited-overs cricket, or any format of the game. Since they’ve been doing that, there should be no change at all,” Gavaskar added.
As India prepare for the high-stakes final, their ability to address these minor flaws while sticking to their winning formula could be the key to lifting the Champions Trophy once again.
India National Cricket Team Probable XI: Rohit Sharma(captain), Shubman Gill(vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav/ Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami
