Gavaskar highlights India's key weaknesses ahead of Champions Trophy final
What's the story
Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian captain and cricket legend, has highlighted a few areas of concern for the national team as they gear up for the final match against New Zealand in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Despite being unbeaten in the tournament so far, Gavaskar feels India haven't hit their peak yet.
"They haven't (played to their maximum potential)," Gavaskar said, as quoted by India Today.
Notably, the final match will be played in Dubai on March 9.
Key issues
Opening partnerships and middle-over wickets need attention
Gavaskar emphasized the need for stronger starts from openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who have lasted beyond five overs only once in the tournament.
He said, "They haven't really given the Indian team the kind of start that they had hoped for... So, clearly, I think there's a shortcoming."
Further, he said India haven't taken enough wickets in middle overs.
"You definitely want to take about 2 or 3 wickets. That's also not quite been happening," he added.
Bowling strategy
Gavaskar advocates for consistency in bowling lineup
Gavaskar also spoke about the bowling department's performance, especially in the first powerplay and middle overs.
He suggested India need to take more wickets in the initial 10 overs and keep the pressure on in the middle overs.
Despite these concerns, Gavaskar pushed for consistency in India's bowling lineup, which features four spinners: Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.
He feels this combination has proven effective and shouldn't be changed before the final match against New Zealand.
Journey
India's road to the 2025 Champions Trophy final
The Men in Blue kickstarted their 2025 CT campaign with a dominant six-wicket win over Bangladesh.
The win was fueled by Mohammed Shami's 5/53 and Gill's (101*). They then beat arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets, thanks to Virat Kohli's (100*) and Kuldeep's 3/40.
In their last group game against New Zealand, Rohit's men beat NZ by 44 runs on the back of Chakravarthy's 5/42.
Meanwhile, Kohli's 84-run knock and spinners' brilliance secured India's four-wicket win over Australia in the semifinal.