Team India's Chance to Up Their Game Against Spinners

The result against the Black Caps will have a bearing on who will be Rohit and Co opponents in semis

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At the start of the Champions Trophy, Dubai was being seen as a spin paradise where Indian spinners would run through opposition batting lineups, or, at the very least, stifle run-scoring. But on evidence of the two matches India have played here, things have not been that straightforward.

India have played the unchanged trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in both their matches so far. They went wicketless against Bangladesh all through the middle overs. Even against Pakistan, the three wickets that Yadav got came after the 40 overs phase, when the batters were under pressure to raise the scoring rate.

India's spin-heavy squad composition for the tournament came expecting the spinners to be the primary wicket-takers in the middle overs. This is one area where Mohammed Siraj was found short in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Hardik Pandya's return has allowed them to play the extra spinner in place of the fast bowler. It is Hardik, in fact, who has been the pick of the bowlers in the middle phase.

Indian spinners' collective haul (7 wickets, avg 35.9, SR 46.4) tames in comparison to their pacers (11 wickets, avg 17.5, SR 24.7). Despite one of the pacers Harshit Rana, being short on experience, it's the fast bowlers who have been more economical than the tweakers.