The Indian Cricket Team made their entry into the finals of the Champions Trophy 2017 by winning the semi-finals against Bangladesh by 9 wickets. India will be playing the finals against Pakistan who registered their spot by beating England by 8 wickets.
India vs Pakistan in the finals of an ICC tournament is all a cricket fan could ever ask for. The on-field rivalry between the two nations make this game of cricket a thrilling experience for all the fans around the globe.
Virat Kohli when asked about the finals against Pakistan, he said, “I am very impressed with Pakistan. What a superb tournament has been for them. They have shown their belief as a team and it will be challenging for us.”
“We”re taking it as any other game, I know that”s boring but that”s our mindset.”
“Credit to Pakistan they turned around things very well for themselves and have beaten sides that look really strong against them but the beliefs just showed on the field, the way they played together as a team.” Kohli added, “Regardless of who you play in the finals its always going to be challenging because once you start thinking that it’s a big game then your mindset changes. We are going to repeat the similar sort of cricket that we have played so far knowing the strengths and weaknesses they have. We will have to plan a bit according to that but I don’t think there is much we should change as a team. “
Here are some of the factors that will prove to be a boon for India in the Finals against Pakistan on 18th June :
– by Shraddha Kejriwal
- The opening duo
Most of the batting performances of a team is dependent upon its opening pair. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started off their journey in Champions Trophy 2017 from where they left back in 2013. Shikhar Dhawan has posted more runs than any other batsmen in both the editions of Champions Trophy i.e. 2013 and 2017.
Shikhar Dhawan registered 634 runs with an average of 90.6 in both the editions combined. He was also named as the Player of the Tournament in Champions Trophy 2013 for his excellent contribution. Rohit Sharma has scored 304 runs in his 4 matches of Champions Trophy 2017 with 123 being his highest. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan again tops the list by 317 runs in his 4 matches. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been in an outstanding form which will definitely give India an extra edge in the finals.
- Skipper Kohli
They say a team performs well if the Captain is ready to put in his 100% efforts into the game. Virat Kohli is a perfect example of “Leading from the front”. Virat Kohli started off the tournament with his unbeaten 81 against the arch-rival Pakistan. However in the next match against Sri Lanka, Virat got out on a duck giving a huge shock to the Indian Cricket Team and their fans.
You cannot stop the lion from roaring; Virat Kohli smashed 76 against South Africa and an unbeaten 96 in the semi-finals against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli achieved another record of being the fastest cricketer to reach 8000 ODI runs. Virat Kohli has been in an excellent form since the past few years and we hope to see the Skipper again in action in Finals against Pakistan.
- The B factor
The Indian Cricket Team has been all reliant on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in case of their bowling department. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 6 wickets in his 4 matches conceding only 153 runs with an economy of 4.71. Jasprit Bumrah tops the list by his best economy of just 4.30. Bumrah took 4 wickets in his 4 matches along with Ravindra Jadeja. The Bhuvneshwar- Bumrah factor will play a key role in restricting Pakistan to a low score.
Finals– 18th June
India vs Pakistan
Venue- The Oval
– by Shraddha Kejriwal