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Kuldeep Yadav And..? 3 Players Who Can Cost India The Final Of Champions Trophy 2025

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Kuldeep Yadav [Source: @imkuldeep18/x.com]Kuldeep Yadav [Source: @imkuldeep18/x.com]

It is time for the most important clash in the Champions Trophy 2025. India will be playing against New Zealand in the final of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 9 at 2:30 PM IST.

 As the two teams get ready to take on each other, here are three players whose form might be a concern for the Indian team. 

3. Mohammed Shami

In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, it was expected that Mohammed Shami will be leading the Indian attack. Much to the delight of the management and the ICT fans, Mohammed Shami started the tournament brilliant with a five wicket haul against Bangladesh.

Mohammed Shami [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]Mohammed Shami [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

However, after that in the next two matches, Shami failed to pick up a single wicket. But again in the much important semi-final against Australia, the Indian pacer made a comeback with three wickets. So, the bowling form and rhythm has fluctuated for Mohammed Shami.

Being a leader of the Indian bowling attack, if Shami fails to find his form early in the game, then the Kiwi batters might take charge early and put the Indian team under pressure.

2. Kuldeep Yadav

The Indian left-arm wrist spinner came into the tournament as the leader of India's spin department. Although he was making a comeback from injury, it was expected that he will be particularly influential in the middle-phase of the games. The expectation was that Kuldeep will provide economical spells between the 11th-40th over and also pick up a few wickets.

However, during the Champions Trophy 2025, Kuldeep Yadav has picked up just five wickets in four matches and has an average of over 40. Thus he has not been in the best of rhythms and has failed to impact the game the way it was expected of him. If Kuldeep fails to pick up form during the final, it might result in the momentum going in favor of New Zealand and them taking the game away in the middle phase of the innings.

1. Rohit Sharma

The Indian skipper is a naturally aggressive batter who can seize the momentum from the opposition with his shots very early in the game. However, the fact that Rohit Sharma is failing to play big in the tournament would be a cause of concern for India.

Rohit Sharma in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @RCBTweets/x.com]Rohit Sharma in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @RCBTweets/x.com]

Often Rohit is getting dismissed after getting a good start. This results in a shift of momentum and especially in a big match like the Final, it could make a big difference. A perfect example of this was when Rohit threw away his wicket against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. His dismissal brought Australia into the game and they strengthened their grip on the proceedings, later winning the match and the trophy.

So, come the match against New Zealand, it is expected that Rohit Sharma shows a bit more patience, even after getting of to a good start. If Rohit can stretch his innings a bit longer than he has done so far, the impact would be much more and India might benefit from that in the match.