This has been a special Champions Trophy campaign by Team India. Not only have they made it to the final for the third successive time, but also have been flawless.. or in short, on individual basis every player has chipped in, in some match or the other. In such ICC events, such consistency is not always possible, but then credit to Gautam Gambhir’s team, for keeping up with the performances, in every match.
Mohammed Shami & Shubman Gill Rule Bangladesh
It all started with the India vs Bangladesh match. where Mohammed Shami, despite being not in the best of rhythms, bagged a fifer. He announced his comeback and showed why he is so threatening. He was complimented well by Harshit Rana, who bagged three wickets. Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav remained wicket-less, but picked up pace in the matches to follow.
Virat Kohli & Kuldeep Yadav Beat Pakistan
Then in batting. Rohit Sharma was good with his 41, Shubman Gill of course scored an unbeaten ton, KL Rahul smashed a 41 too. The likes of Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Axar failed with the bat. Come the Pakistan match, Pandya shone with ball with his 2/31 and so did Kuldeep, who picked up 3/40. In the batting, Virat Kohli got to his 52nd ODI ton, while Iyer scored 56.
The match against New Zealand also was a one where just about everyone performed. After the top 3 failed with the bat, Iyer stepped up with 79, Axar made 42, Pandya also scored with the bat — 45. Then come the defending, Varun Chakravarthy bagged a fifer, while defending 250. Pandya had figures of 1/22, Axar 1/32, Kuldeep 2/56 and Jadeja 1/36.
Varun Chakravarthy The Most Consistent Spinner
Then in the semis vs Australia, the opposition was restricted to 264. Shami had three wickets, Pandya had one, Kuldeep kind of failed, but then Chakravarthy with 2/49, and Jaddu with 2/40, more than compensated for it. Again, Shreyas Iyer stepped up with 45, Virat Kohli was exceptional in his innings of 84, Rahul remained unbeaten at 42, while Hardik Pandya scored 28, when the going was tough.
This just summarises the fact that each and every player tried by India — 12 so far, in this Champions Trophy 2025 has performed. There is no weak link in the team whatsoever, be it in batting or bowling. Having said that, the final vs New Zealand on Sunday will be a taxing affair, and the pressure will be on India. Anything could go wrong, and the players and the team can;t be complacent. But also, it is also the time to celebrate the near-perfect performances that the team has delivered.
