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India's bowling attack in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand was dominated by a masterful display of spin bowling, with Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav taking center stage. The spin duo effectively controlled the flow of the game, consistently taking crucial wickets at regular intervals, which disrupted New Zealand's momentum and ultimately limiting them for a total of 251/7. Their combined efforts yielded three quick dismissals, with Chakravarthy removing Will Young and Kuldeep Yadav accounting for Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson. Chakravarthy later returned to dismiss Glenn Phillips, further solidifying their impact on the match.
The synergy between Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav drew comparisons to the legendary 'KulCha' partnership, leading to widespread acclaim.
Notably, India's legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh likened their partnership to his own with Anil Kumble. Harbhajan, a veteran of Indian cricket with 711 international wickets, expressed optimism about the potential of Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, suggesting that they could rival his and Kumble's success in white-ball cricket for the national team. He also went on to say that the duo of Chakravarthy, Kuldeep can become much better than Kumble and him.
“They can become that partnership that will win India a lot of matches in the years to come. They can become much better than Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh,” Harbhajan said while doing commentary for Star Sports.
“They can certainly reach that standard. There’s no question, because both have age on their side. They can play together for many years, and only improve from here. These are early days for them,” he added.
“Both of them are attacking bowlers, and attacking bowlers always become good partnerships. Kuldeep or Varun attack the stumps, and have that mystery where batters can’t read the ball, if it’s coming in or going away,” he concluded.
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the Champions Trophy final. Batting first New Zealand rode on Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell's brilliant half centuries to post 251/7 on the board. India's bowling performance was spearheaded by Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, each claiming two wickets. Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed with a wicket apiece.
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
New Zealand's Playing XI:
Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Nathan Smith
