As India prepares to face either South Africa or New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, there are several key areas the team needs to focus on to secure victory.
Despite their impressive run in the tournament, India still faces challenges that could impact their performance in the final match.
Here are three critical areas India must concentrate on:
1. Improving Death Overs Batting
India’s ability to accelerate in the death overs has been a concern, particularly in ODIs.
Since 2023, India’s balls per boundary at the death is the fifth-slowest among all teams participating in the Champions Trophy, better only than Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and a couple of other teams.
To win the final, India needs to enhance their death overs batting, ensuring they can score at a higher rate when it matters most. This could involve strategic planning and player selection to maximize the final few overs.
2. Improving Performance Against Spin
India’s scoring rate against spinners has been one of the lowest in the tournament, with a rate of 72.35 runs per 100 balls.
Virat Kohli, in particular, has struggled with a strike rate of just 60.2 against spinners in the Champions Trophy this season.
To overcome this weakness, India must develop strategies to handle spin more effectively, possibly by rotating the strike better and targeting specific bowlers.
3. Strengthening the Bowling Unit
The absence of Jasprit Bumrah due to injury has left India with an inexperienced pace attack.
Mohammed Shami, although a seasoned bowler, looked rusty in recent matches, and other pacers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have limited international experience.
India needs to ensure that their bowling unit performs consistently, possibly by relying more on spinners in favorable conditions and using the pacers strategically to exploit weaknesses in the opposition’s batting lineup.
