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Can Dubai's slow pitch and spinners help India win Champions Trophy title?
With the added advantage of playing all their matches at the same venue, Dubai, India look to bank on their four-pronged spin attack
- PUBLISHED: Sun 2 Mar 2025, 10:45 PM
The West Indies cracked the code in the 1970s by introducing a four-pronged pace attack, sparking a new era of cricket domination which lasted more than two decades.
On Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, it seemed the Indian team found the perfect formula for a tilt at Champions Trophy glory.
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By replacing young pacer Harshit Rana with spinner Varun Chakravarthy, Indian captain Rohit Sharma added the fourth slow bowler to his bowling unit.
With the added advantage of playing all their matches at the same venue, Dubai, India looked to bank on their spinners.
The ploy worked on a slow surface in the inconsequential Group A game against New Zealand on Sunday.
After a relatively subdued performance from the batting unit which put up a modest 249 for nine in 50 overs, the four-pronged spin attack — Chakravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav — suffocated the Kiwis who were bowled out for 205 in 45.5 overs.
The 44-run win earned the top spot in Group A for India who will face Australia in the first semifinal at the same venue in Dubai.
New Zealand will now travel to Lahore for the second semifinal against South Africa on Wednesday.
“Very important for us to finish on a high. With our quality bowlers, we had the confidence to defend that total,” skipper Rohit said.
The final, if India qualify, will take place in Dubai on March 9. But if Australia win Tuesday’s semifinal, it’s Lahore which will host the big finale on the same day.
While the depleted Australia haven’t set the stage on fire, India will fancy their chances, especially with their four spinners taking turns to bamboozle the batters in the middle overs.
Against New Zealand, Chakravarthy (10-0-42-5) led the charge with a stunning five-wicket haul as Axar (10-0-32-1), Kuldeep (9.3-0-56-2) and Jadeja (8-0-36-1) also turned up the heat on the Kiwis.
Kane Williamson (81 off 120 balls) did negate the Indian spin threat with a classy combination of defence and attack, but none of the other Kiwi batters could stand up to the challenge as the Indians superbly controlled the middle overs.
“It was not a rank-turner but if you bowled in the right places, it helped. The way Kuldeep, Jaddu, Axar bowled, even the pacers. it was a total team effort," said man-of-the match Chakravarthy who dismissed Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry.
Earlier, Shreyas Iyer (79 off 98 balls), Hardik Pandya (45 off 45 balls) and Axar (42 off 61 balls) played their part superbly to give the bowling unit something to bowl at following a top-order collapse which saw India slump to 30 for three in 6.4 overs.
Iyer’s 98-run partnership with Axar was crucial and equally important was Pandya’s stroke-play at the back end of the innings.
That total could still have been inadequate against an in-form New Zealand team if their spinners had not produced their top form.
"A slower wicket than what we have come up against. India controlled the middle phase. Shreyas batted well and Hardik finished off. The pitch spun more than we thought, spun more than the other games here. Four quality spinners make it tough,” New Zealand skipper Santner admitted.
India will be hoping their four-pronged spin attack continues to deliver the results for two more matches.
This is not the formula for a West Indies-like domination. But on a favourable surface, this could eventually help India end their 12-year wait for an ICC Trophy in the 50 overs format.
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
