India have thus far remained unvanquished in their Champions Trophy 2025, and they have put in strong performances in each match. They romped through the group stages and demolished Australia in the semifinal. Still, cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar feels the side still needs some aspects to improve before the final.
Middle Overs and Opening Partnerships Need Attention
Despite India’s strong run, Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that the team has struggled to take wickets in the middle overs. While they have successfully controlled the run flow, breakthroughs have been scarce, which could prove costly in a high-pressure final.
“They haven’t because when you look at the openers, they haven’t really given the Indian team the kind of start that they had hoped for. That has not happened. So, clearly, I think there’s a shortcoming over there. Even with the new ball, you might want to in the first 10 overs. You definitely want to take about 2 or 3 wickets. That’s also not quite been happening. In the middle overs, we have not got wickets, even though the runs have not been flowing. So those are areas that you get better in those areas, the better the chances of going on and winning the final,” Sunil Gavaskar stated on India Today.
No Changes to the Winning XI, Claims Sunil Gavaskar
Though pointing out areas of improvement, Gavaskar also made it clear that India must not alter their present playing XI. According to him, the team must retain four spinners because the pairing of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav has made India’s bowling unit much stronger.
“I think it is going to be 4 spinners. It has to be. Why change now? It’s shown Chakravarthy’s inclusion, Kuldeep’s inclusion has shown how effective they can be. And also, wicket-taking balls are the best dot balls in limited-overs cricket or any format of the game. So they’ve been doing that, so there should be no change at all,” he further said.
India Gears Up for the Final
With an unbeaten run and a balanced team, India go into the final as favorites. But rectifying the issues highlighted by Sunil Gavaskar can make them stronger contenders to win the Champions Trophy 2025.
