IND vs NZ: Sunil Gavaskar pinpoints India’s weak points before Champions Trophy final; ‘clearly, there’s a shortcoming’

India might have been the only unbeaten team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 so far, but legendary Sunil Gavaskar still felt there are a few concerning areas that the Men in Blue need to take special care ahead of the big final against New Zealand on March 9, Sunday.

India started their campaign with a win over Bangladesh before out classing Pakistan and New Zealand in group stages. In the semifinal, India defeated Australia to book their third consecutive Champions Trophy final spot.

On the other hand, New Zealand only loss came against the Men in Blue in group stages. One of the biggest talking points for the Indian team was their selection of five spinners in the tournament. Not only will they play a major role in slow tracks in Dubai, but also take wickets in the middle overs, was Indian camp's logic when asked about the selection.

The lack of opposition wickets in the middle overs caught Sunil Gavaskar's eye despite keeping runs in check. He also pointed out the lack of partnerships between Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma for the opening wicket and said India should try to pick more wickets in the first 10 overs.

“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,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.

“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,” he added.

Will India alter playing XI in final vs Kiwis?

With India winning the semifinal with four spinners, Sunil Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma should stick with the same combination in the final too. The former India captain explained how the inclusion of Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav bolstered India's attack. 

“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 added.