2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in their 2025 Champions Trophy match vs New Zealand ft. Axar Patel at No. 5
Team India secured a comprehensive 44-run win over New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 2. The Men in Blue, following their third successive win, qualified for the semifinals from the top of Group A.
Varun Chakaravarthy and Shreyas Iyer were the primary architects of India's triumph. While Chakaravarthy registered his maiden ODI five-wicket haul, Shreyas helped the side recover from a top-order collapse with a fighting 79. Others like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipped in with valuable contributions.
At the same time, however, it wasn't a perfect display from Rohit and company. On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in their Champions Trophy clash against New Zealand.
#3 Mistake - KL Rahul wasn't sent in at No. 5 despite quick wickets in the powerplay
India lost three wickets inside the first seven overs, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill falling to New Zealand's new-ball pairing of Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson. Despite the situation being tailor-made for a player of Rahul's talents, the Men in Blue chose to send in Axar Patel at No. 5.
Axar did his bit, but Rahul was always the right man for the job. There were more than three overs left in the powerplay, and the Kiwis were always going to bring on Will O'Rourke before turning to the spinners. Moreover, it's a role that the 32-year-old has performed well in over the last two years.
Rahul eventually came in and played a short knock, but his form is now a major concern heading into the semifinals. Giving him more time at the crease in a familiar situation would've helped both him and the team.
#2 Masterstroke - Varun Chakaravarthy's inclusion worked wonders
India boldly went in with four spinners, including Varun Chakaravarthy at the expense of Harshit Rana. The Tamil Nadu man made his inclusion a memorable one, registering his maiden ODI five-wicket haul and giving his team an enticing option ahead of the semifinals.
The decision to pick Chakaravarthy already seems like a masterstroke. Australia are likely to be losing sleep over his presence, and the bowler himself is now high on confidence after bamboozling the Kiwi batters with his accuracy and guile. Moreover, the spinner's presence frees up Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav across phases.
#1 Mistake - India could've tried out the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Rishabh Pant
While India were bold enough to try Chakaravarthy, they weren't willing to extend the same privilege to Arshdeep Singh and Rishabh Pant.
Mohammed Shami has been some way off his best in recent times, and Harshit Rana, while being a useful option in the middle overs and at the death, isn't a reliable powerplay option. With Hardik Pandya not being one to swing the ball as well, India are a bit short in that department.
Arshdeep's presence would've given them a shot at finding someone who can break games open with the new ball.
Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, Rahul's form is questionable. India could've tried out Pant, who not only offers a degree of flair and dynamism to the middle order but is also a left-hander who can be safely deployed at No. 5.
Even if India had played Pant instead of one of the all-rounders, it would've helped them more with the bigger picture - the knockouts - in mind.