ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final: Sunil Gavaskar feels India's fielding need to be sharper against Pakistan

Sunil Gavaskar has praised Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their batting effort

What’s the story?

In a column for the Times Group, the former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, says that it is pivotal for India to raise their fielding level against Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, that is to be played at The Oval in London today (June 18).

He said, “India's openers have been in great touch and Rohit Sharma's hundred was terrific. Shikhar Dhawan loves the ICC events, and with Kohli getting a nice long outing in the semis, the rest of the batsmen have hardly had a hit. It's the fielding again that has to get sharper and Kohli must look to get his more athletic fielders in the deep where they can save the boundaries.”

The Indian batting legend also expressed his admiration for Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy and was full of praise for how Pakistan have managed to bounce back from their crushing loss to India in the group stage of the tournament. 

“Who would have thought that after the drubbing they received from India in their first match of the group stage, Pakistan would be contesting the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. That they are is due to some brilliant captaincy from Sarfraz Ahmed and greater determination shown in their other two games. They seemed overawed against India and looked out of depth but, now in the final, it could be a totally different Pakistan team,” he further added.

In case you didn’t know...

This is the first time the arch-rivals will meet each other in the final of a 50-over ICC tournament. India beat Pakistan in their opening game of the tournament by 124-runs, by Pakistan have shown unambiguous signs of revival since then. 

India beat Bangladesh while Pakistan beat England in the semi-final to have a shot at winning that coveted trophy. This is India’sforth Champions Trophy final, and Pakistan’s first ever appearance in the same. 

The details 

Head-to-head for India vs Pakistan matches in the Champions Trophy is tied at 2-2

Gavaskar also believes that India are likely to stick with the same playing XI that they had in the last two matches. However, he wrote that if the conditions are cloudy and overcast on the morning of the final, captain Virat Kohli might consider bringing in an extra seamer. 

What’s next?

Pakistan led the head-to-head of India-Pakistan matches in the Champions Trophy before the tournament began. However, it is not tied at two apiece. Hence, the team that wins today in this fifth encounter between the arch-rivals will have a positive Champions Trophy head-to-head over the losing team for at least four more years.

Author’s take

Gavaskar is spot-on about the two glitches in India’s strong armour right now: their fielding and their fifth bowler. While India must pull up their socks in the field today, changing the playing XI before a massive match like this might not be the wisest decision.