Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels India might think about including wrist spinner into their playing XI for the blockbuster clash against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Chakravarthy recently made his ODI debut in the second match against England.
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00:00Right plenty of positives for the Indian team in that win versus Bangladesh but
00:04if there were any hiccups they can sort that out as they get into the tournament
00:08proper with a big game coming up versus Pakistan and that's going to be a focus
00:13on the broadcast for the next 20 odd minutes that we are live. You're going to
00:16be joined by our cricket analyst in Sunny Gavaskar. Sahi bhai, let's try and
00:21set up this contest India versus Pakistan always the marquee clash in any
00:26tournament. I know everyone's picked India as the favorite but do you think
00:30it's as clear-cut as that India clear favorites or do you think this Pakistan
00:34team despite a setback in their first game can spring a surprise?
00:41Look in cricket anything can happen you need just one player to be the game
00:45changer whether it's with the bat or the ball and Pakistan have always had
00:49mercurial players you know somebody you know who will come in and play a blind
00:52out or somebody who will you know bowl an amazing spell that kind of a
00:57they've always had that so it's very difficult to say totally that India is not the right
01:04favorite but you look at the all-round strength of the Indian team the batting
01:07depth that the Indian team has the variety at the top of the batting as
01:10well somebody like a Rohit Sharma who will go bang bang from the first ball
01:14Shubman Gill who will work his way around Rahul down the order
01:17Hardik Pandya down the order so there's so much of all-round strength in the
01:21Indian team so they clearly start the favorites.
01:26Okay so you know it's often said I know it's a cliche but it's often said India
01:30versus Pakistan is a game where it's a game of nerves whichever team handles
01:35pressure better ends up on the winning side would it be fair to say that
01:40considering how the tournament has panned out so far India registering their win
01:44versus Bangladesh whereas Pakistan losing their first encounter and now
01:49it's almost going to be a do-or-die game for the Pakistan team versus India fair
01:53to say that Pakistan would be the team under more pressure compared to India?
01:56Definitely no question whatsoever they will be under far more pressure having
02:04lost their first game to New Zealand they'll be under far more pressure India
02:08but that said the Champions Trophy is the one one tournament where they have
02:12managed to score over India not the World Cups not the T20 World Cups but in
02:17the Champions Trophy so maybe that is something that they'll be looking to
02:21hang on to as far as getting their confidence back.
02:26So we started this particular broadcast looking at the areas that India can
02:31improve upon if I was to ask you the same question from that win versus
02:36Bangladesh of course India have that advantage they've played a game here in
02:40Dubai whereas Pakistan will be playing the first game of the tournament here so
02:44to get used to the conditions they don't have that much time India in that sense
02:49would be prepared having played against Bangladesh what are the lessons you
02:52think India can take from that game and then utilize those particular lessons in
02:56the game versus Pakistan?
02:59Well the learning would be obviously about the pitch that's also an important
03:02factor probably the most important factor and from that they will know
03:06that you know what they need to do look the pace has got the wickets from both
03:10teams when you look at the the wickets taken Shami take five, Harshit Rana picking a
03:16couple of wickets and then from the Pakistan team as well the pacers I'm
03:22sorry from the Bangladesh team as well there were a couple of wickets are taken
03:26and so clearly therefore there was you know the fact that you know while the
03:31pacers got the wickets you have to look at that but the spinners were the ones
03:34who kept control the spinners were the ones who really bowled tightly for both
03:38both the teams and so therefore I would imagine that they would look maybe maybe
03:42maybe maybe with Hardik Pandya coming in as a new ball bowler they may look to
03:48go in with an extra spin bowler in Varun Chakravorty for the game against
03:52Pakistan.
03:54Okay that's those are very interesting thoughts by Sunny Gavaskar you know it's
03:58I'd have to say Sunny by a bit of left field selection out of the box where you
04:02think go in with that extra spinner India already playing three now you're
04:06saying four spinners do you think you know keeping that in mind Pakistan on
04:12the other hand have only got you know one spinner in their ranks do you think
04:16that that they'd be ruling that fact that here listen here's his Indian team
04:20which might be thinking of playing four spinners on the track that you have in
04:23Dubai and they've only selected one spinner in a bra.
04:29Well yes I would imagine so because look I think yes Pakistan strength has always
04:33been their fast bowling but and maybe because they do not really have the kind
04:39of quality spinners that they had like in Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Tauseer
04:44Fahmad that you know those kind of spinners are probably not around and
04:48which is the reason why they have gone with with a pace strong attack
04:53and just one spinner but these are slow pitches the pitches in Dubai because of
04:57a lot of cricket being played there the IIT 20 just finished about a week ago
05:01week 10 days ago before that there were a lot of matches being played UAE teams
05:05were playing a lot of matches there so the pitch is tired we saw it in the
05:10Bangladesh game there was no grass on the pitch and therefore the bowlers were
05:14if the spinners were able to get a little more out of it than the quick
05:17stick. Okay you spoke about Pakistan's bowling
05:22Saim, let's take a closer look at their batting because that came under
05:25scrutiny in the game versus New Zealand and you know if you're looking at it
05:29from the outside one thing that really disrupted their batting combination in
05:33that game Fakhar Zaman, injury to Fakhar Zaman he comes down the order completely
05:36upsets that batting order now they've come into this tournament you know with
05:41Saim Ayub one of their rising stars injured that was a jolt to begin with
05:45now Fakhar Zaman the other guy who could really give them the start that
05:48they needed is injured they've got Imamul Haq now do you think that's
05:52disrupted Pakistan's batting and that has really put them in the back foot in
05:57this tournament? Well openers are so essential we see that with any team
06:04opening batting opening bowling they give the get the teams off to a good
06:08start opening bowlers take you wickets in the first 10 overs opening batters
06:11don't lose wickets and get to maybe 50 60 in the first 10 overs that makes a
06:16big difference so with an opener gone and somebody who's who really is playing
06:22Fakhar Zaman is low as far as Pakistan's concerned Imamul Haq is a very fine player
06:29he's got hundreds in the one day one day game Imamul Haq is a very fine
06:33player but I would imagine that you know Pakistan will feel just a little bit
06:38left out. Okay Sunny Gavaskar still live with us Sunny bhai those are telling
06:45stats you know that we just presented to our viewers I think last six
06:50dismissals five have come against a leg spinner that's that between 2019 pre
06:562019 gets out to spinner one every four innings from 2019 onwards is getting out
07:01to one every second inning is a dismissal to a spinner these are really
07:05telling numbers I mean it's not that Virat hasn't been out of form he has
07:09been out of form throughout his long career but he's found a way to come back
07:13now it's becoming increasingly open secret that leg spinners or slow bowlers
07:19are troubling him do you think the teams are now mindful of that everyone
07:23knows about it and now the strategy is simple Virat is there in white ball
07:27cricket bring on a spinner and there you have it his wicket it is it is it is to
07:33a great extent due to the fact that the bat face opens up see as same thing
07:37happens when when he's playing against the quicks in Australia the bat face
07:40opening up looking to play through the covers opening the face of the bat that
07:44gets him into trouble so that is something that he's going to watch out
07:48for even when he got out in a couple of times before he got out he reached for
07:53Rishabh the ball turned the bat face open and luckily it bat face open and so
07:57there was no Nick so that is something that he'll have to tighten up on now but
08:01yes I guess if you're getting out to the same kind of bowling then you you there
08:07is a there's a bit of concern there
08:11okay so that was about Virat Kohli how he should approach the game but rest of
08:15the Indian batters we saw not a great pitch to bat on in their first game what
08:19is the ideal approach Indian batters must have when they're facing Pakistan
08:23here in Dubai I think it whatever happened actually happened for the best
08:29because if India having dismissed Bangladesh half the team for 35 and
08:34knocked them all for 125 for example that would not have really tested them
08:38at all that would not have tested them at all it would have it would have been
08:43you know just a walk over but having this where they had to go deep
08:47certainly India as far as I'm concerned that their batters their bowlers both
08:52have had a measure of what the pitch will be doing the pitch for the game is
08:56not the same pitch in Dubai just a couple of you know pitches away so it
09:01could be maybe just a little bit harder just a little bit quicker but again the
09:06experience of India having played over there just getting the feeling you know
09:10the atmosphere around will definitely be a big plus as far as India is concerned
09:16all right son if I will leave it at that thanks so much for taking our time
09:20speaking to us on India