30 to win off 30 and South Africa were cruising in the T20 World Cup Finals last year. The game was slipping away until Jasprit Bumrah came with a magical spell to bring the trophy home. He was center stage again during the Border Gavaskar Trophy finishing with 30+ wickets, dominating and single-handedly keeping India through the series. Ruled out though, the Champions Trophy was always going to be a challenge for India. Their strike bowler was gone and India were going in without a trump card seemingly. Dubai though, with its spin allowed India to trust their vintage spin.

Most teams go in with two spinners and maybe a part-timer on conditions that offer a good amount of turn. India, though, started with three to challenge Pakistan and Bangladesh. They then decided that they could do with one more, bringing their final Trump card, Varun Chakravarthy, in to play four spinners. Dubai was helping them with a lot of spin and slowness on tired tracks that have recently hosted the ILT20. From the norm of two spinners and a part timer, India went with not three but four spinners of differing variety. Two of them are left-arm spinners who bat as good as anyone in the top five thus extending the batting line-up to number eight while giving six genuine bowling options. They also went with two wrist-spinners using both hands with a lot of mystery behind them.

In Axar Patel, India had a left-arm spinner who could bowl in the powerplay while also batting at number five gave India a leftie in the middle-order. The other left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, is among the greatest all-rounders in the game and is a proven master of the middle-overs. In each game he was as quick as ever into his overs, finishing them in less than two minutes giving batters little time to breath. His fielding is an added bonus with the arm as good as ever. Kuldeep Yadav the third one comes with a lot of mystery and woke up as a death bowler in the tournament bowling a fair chunk of his overs in the last ten of the innings. The fourth one, Varun Chakravarthy comes in with mystery of his own. He is relatively new as well in the international circuit and can bowl equally well through the innings.

With the quartet, India were quick in spinning webs around the batters. Solid starts quickly became slow paced with batters struggling to find the boundary or even get the ball past the square for a single. The final was clear evidence of the spinners doing their magic. At 57 for no loss in the 9th over, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra were running away with the game. Varun Chakravarthy though opened the game up with a beauty to get Will Young and Kuldeep Yadav bowled what could be the ball of the Final to get Rachin Ravindra. He picked the wicket of Williamson as well and that set New Zealand into snooze mode. The intent was gone and India had the best men to make the most of it. Axar Patel started but it was Ravindra Jadeja, introduced in the 19th over who got into his rhythm. It was his day as he bowled over after over, hitting the same line and length that made him dangerous for so many years. There wasn't much spin but he was getting it to grip, and being the fastest of the four he was tough to get under. Jadeja rushed through his overs bowling nine unchanged and getting Tom Latham out sweeping. He followed with some energetic chases and rocket throws while finishing the innings at number eight highlighting his value once more in the side.

The middle-overs shift though was not his alone. With Jadeja holding one end, the attacking bowlers took the other ends with Kuldeep, Axar and Chakravarthy rotating. Kuldeep and Chakravarthy had already laid the groundwork with three wickets between them and Rohit Sharma used the three of them beautifully in bursts. It was Chakravarthy who got Glenn Phillips again at the right time with Phillips just getting into his groove heading into the slog overs. The other left-arm spinner, Axar Patel, comes in slightly differently. Taller than Jadeja, he brings in the extra bounce and he was just as good, if not better than Jadeja at applying the squeeze, picking up wickets as well at key points. For Axar though, bowling was not the only aspect. His batting in the top five was equally crucial. He played a key knock in the Final, as the leftie in the middle-order.

With Kuldeep Yadav, India did not miss Bumrah as Yadav took the death overs and bowled them really well. The true trump card though was Varun Chakravarthy who was tough to pick. Teams could not read him as he took nine wickets in the three matches he played. Had he started the Player of the Tournament medal could have well been his. The tournament had a lot of dominance with the batters making marks at different times. The engine room though was clearly the spin quartet, which is something that is very rare to see and something Cricket might not see as often.

Viral Photo of Chahal Stirring the Buzz

People on social media were at a frenzy when Chahal was spotted having a jovial conversation with an unidentified woman. Given the recent rumors surrounding his personal life, people immediately drawed to conclusions. Neither Chahal or Dhanashree have given any formal declarations about their relationship, however, their online presence suggests otherwise.

यजुवेंद्र चहल के साथ ये मिस्ट्री गर्ल कौन है?

pic.twitter.com/vQGBB9K2zI

— Shubham Shukla (@ShubhamShuklaMP) March 9, 2025

Mystery Girl Also Spotted With Kuldeep Yadav

Remarkably, Kuldeep Yadav was seen in the audience with another unidentified woman. Although nobody knows who she is, people have started making guesses regarding their relationship.

Kuldeep Yadav the game changer 🪄 🫡 pic.twitter.com/I3GJlC74km

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) March 9, 2025

ALSO READ:-Varun Chakravarthy’s Decisive Strike in Champions Trophy Final

These people might not play a critical role in cricket, but their existence undeniably increases the level of entertainment provided to the fans. While everything is just a guess until proven wrong, these off field activties are incredibly captivating for the onlookers.

India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy has started graciously for India. They are in a commanding position over them despite a poor start. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first in the Champions Trophy final. Even New Zealand started the innings positively where Rachin and Young were hitting boundaries. India lost few chances of taking wickets which led to the fraustration for the team and the fans. 

Mohammad Shami jinks of not taking the catch still continued where he dropped Rachin Ravindra when he was on 17 it was a straight forward catch but missed by him. Then at the second time he was given out for a catch after the review it was found nothing was there. And Rachin gave another chance over leg side which went through the air and it was dropped by Shreyas Iyer, with lots of happening in the ground it gave a instinct that it was not Team India's day for today. 

Read more : Will History Be Repeated Or There Will Be Any InvasionWill History Be Repeated Or There Will Be Any Invasion

Kuldeep Yadav For Rescue 

When everything went against them then Captain Rohit Sharma gave ball to Kuldeep Yadav untill then Rachin Ravindra escaped a lot. But not this time Kuldeep 3rd delivery gated into the stumps  and breaked it with that India got a breakthrough and with that Kuldeep jinks with the ball in ICC Knockout games was also broken. It was Varun Chakravarthy who took the first wicket of Young Young. 

Next the proceedings were taken care by Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep had a good outing in this Champions Trophy but he was not clicking with the wickets. And what a day he choosed to do it. Rohit tried out with his pace bowlers but were leaking runs which was hurting them more. Soon he turned to his spinners who were getting some purchase from the wicket which was clearly visible too. 

One Brings Two Decides The Depictor

KKuldeep came to his next over with a short break of time and this time it was Williamson who hit straight back to Kuldeep Yadav and Kuldeep takes the sharp catch and departs the big fish who would be more dangerous if had stood more in the crease. There were questions raising about Kuldeep Yadav playing position being wicketless in ICC knockout games hurting India everytime. 

Read more: Defending Champions RCB Out Of WPL 2025

This time Kuldeep Yadav gave his answers to all his critics who were questioning his position, even the great thing is that captain and coach had full confidence on him keeping him in the playing 11 and today he repaid the faith put on him. Those two crucial wickets has given India the cution of score not going above par of it. 

New Zealand was dealt a huge setback as captain Kane Williamson was sent back at a critical phase of the game. The seasoned batter, who is famous for his ability to remain calm in pressure situations, tried to push the ball towards the leg side but instead chipped it straight back to Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep, being the quick-witted bowler that he is, took the catch with ease, sending Williamson to the pavilion for only 11 runs off 14 balls. This is a big breakthrough for India, as Williamson was supposed to steady New Zealand's innings.

ALSO SEE: Dinesh Lad Shares Rohit Sharma’s Winning Mindset Before Champions Trophy

KULDEEP GETS THE BIG FISH, KANE WILLIAMSON..!!!! 💪 pic.twitter.com/kNTgvu6vRo

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 9, 2025

The celebrations of Virat Kohli & Kuldeep Yadav after Kane Williamson wicket. ❤️👌 pic.twitter.com/lAakhK9rPY

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) March 9, 2025

With their captain lost, New Zealand is left with an uphill battle to shore up their innings and score a fighting total. Viewers can watch the replay of Williamson's dismissal to learn how Kuldeep's intelligent bowling outwitted the star player.

The India vs New Zealand match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final started in a dramatic way. After the Blackcaps openers provided a strong start, especially in-form Rachin Ravindra, Indian spinners strongly made a comeback, while Kuldeep Yadav started the Final with a wicket of dangerous Rachin.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates is hosting the Final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner chose to bat first on the tricky surface. 

Also Watch: Kane Williamson’s Wicket Puts New Zealand in Trouble

Will Young and Rachin Ravindra had 57-run opening partnership

New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra provided a flying start. Blackcaps openers Will Young and Rachin Ravindra had a 57-run partnership for the first wicket, which they accumulated in eight overs. Since the Indian spinners started to bowl in the match, Kiwi batters have struggled to continue their strong batting performance. 

During the 57-run opening partnership, Rachin was dropped twice. The pacer Mohammed Shami dropped him for 28 runs on his delivery as he missed the caught and bowled opportunity. In the next over, Varun Chakravarthy created a chance as Rachin was on 29 runs when Shreyas Iyer just failed to grab a catch at deep. India were frustrated with those missed chances, while Rachin was scoring quickly.

Ultimately, Chakravarthy produced the first wicket for India as Will Young was lbw in the eighth over after scoring 15 off 23 balls with two fours.

Kuldeep Yadav started second powerplay by dismissing Rachin Ravindra

After New Zealand completed the first powerplay at 69/1, and they lost dangerous Rachin on the first ball of the second powerplay. It was the first ball for Kuldeep Yadav in the Final and he started with a great wicket as he bowled Rachin. It was a slow googly, and Rachin failed to read that delivery which cost him the wicket as the ball destroyed the stumps. Without a doubt, it was a very important wicket for India.

CASTLED! | \ | #KuldeepYadav makes the impact straightaway, as #RachinRavindra is cleaned up courtesy a sharp googly! 💪🏻#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar FINAL 👉 #INDvNZ | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 2 & Sports18-1!

📺📱 Start Watching FREE on… pic.twitter.com/VEl1RJOxfE

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 9, 2025

Champions Trophy final to be played on 9th of March. There looks some change may take place in the team. Kuldeep Yadav has been center point on this Champions Trophy where he has been least effective even the recently added  Chakravarthy has also got fifer against the New Zealand game. It is been worrying signs for Kuldeep Yadav and for team India too ahead of this big final. 

India would be seeking to take the revenge which new Zealand gave 25 years ago. Kuldeep had been much effective in these pitches which is not a good sign for India. Even in the semi finals match against Australia was also looking off colour, he missed the ball while a run out can be pulled even Rohit and Kohli couldn't able to control their anger. Experts believe that Kuldeep can be dropped in big final. 

Read More : Winning The IPL Trophy With RCB Will Be Perfect Farewell For Virat Kohli Says De Villiers

Is Kuldeep Missing Any Trick

Its been depicted that Kuldeep has been clearly out of form . Another tendency of Kuldeep Yadav is he has been wicketless in knockout games which becomes another headache for India he is averaging 36.63. In 2023 World Cup final he didn't picked a single wicket. In T20 World cup 2024 he was wicketless there too and the last in CT semi finals against Australia there too he couldn't able to purchase any wicket. 

In a recent report its been said that the Champions Trophy final to be played in a fresh pitch. If it's a fresh pitch then it will support the pace bowler the most which will give good carry and bounce. India are having 3 quality spinners with them in the name of Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel. It would would idle that fourth spinner might not come into play. Instead of this India have two choices one to bring back Harshit Rana who can give some pace and bounce or either playing Washington Sundar who can give you the role of an all rounder. 

Read More : RCB Star Ellyse Perry Talks About The Maha Kumbh Mela

Experts Eye On For Washignton Sundar

Former cricketer and analyist Aakash Chopra has said in his YouTube Channel its 80 percent confirm Kuldeep Yadav may be rested for this match and India may pitch to Washington Sundar who can play the role of an allrounder, its not sure whether he will play or not but there are possibilities that he may get a game. 

Aakash believes Washington Sundar has already done good against New Zealand and his inputs will be very valuable. Till now the combination has been good for India if they want a change it would be definitely Kuldeep Yadav who have to go out. 

Kuldeep Yadav is known for his spin variations and for adaptiblity of the game. After an poor outing of 2019 world cup he and his co partner Yuzvendra Chahal were dropped from the team. From there Kuldeep Yadav learnt a lesson that he should work on his variation the tuffer the ball, he would have the biggest chance of entering into the team back. He had a great season of Ipl 2022 where he played for Delhi franchise. That was the turning point of his career. 

His spells in IPL 2022 gained various recogonitions from experts and same year he was included in Team India squard and into the World Cup squard of 2023. India played the tournament brilliantly except the final. 

Kuldeep Yadav Performance In 2023 World Cup

Kuldeep Yadav had a great outing in 2023 World Cup where he took 15 wickets in 10 matches. In first against Australia he took 2 wickets, Against Pakistan he took 2 wickets giving out 35 runs. And his list went on. But at the later stages of the game he was going wicketless which started with New Zealand where their batters charged over him. 

In World Cup final he was looking clueless though he bowled well through the spell but once he started conceeding it was all gone. After the loss in world cup he faced wide criticism and being wicketless was one of the reason where India couldn't hold much into the game. 

Read More : Kolkata Announces Their Captain And Vice Captain Ahead Of IPL2025

Kuldeep Yadav Performance In 2024 T20 World Cup

Kuldeep had a great start to 2024 T20 World Cup which held in USA and West Indies, he took 10 wickets in 5 matches averaging 14.1 runs per wicket, with an economy rate of 6.74 in group stages which paved India to enroute to semi finals. In semi finals against England to he took 3 wickets and constrained them. But once again in final his contribution was nil.

He conceded 45 runs in his 4 overs spell which backfired misrebly even though India won the thriller match against South Africa and won the T20 World Cup for the second time. 

Read More : Varun Chakravarthy Mental Strength Has Been Appreciated By Axar Patel

Kuldeep Yadav Performance in Champions Trophy 2025

Kuldeep Yadav had a great performance in CT 2025 where he took 5 wickets in three matches. In first match against Bangladesh he was wicketless, In the second match against Pakistan he took 3 wickets and in final group game against New Zealand claimed 2 wickets. 

But once again today at Semi finals of CT 2025 he has failed to deliver which puts the question mark whether Kuldeep gets pressurised under big occasion because he was seen doing misfields where captain Rohit Sharma  was yelling at time. He has to develop his game in pressure situation otherwise it would be hard to sustain in international arena. 

India and Australia are involved in a high-tension first Semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where the Indian cricketer Kuldeep Yadav faced heat from the skipper Rohit Sharma and the former captain Virat Kohli for his mistake.  

Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates is hosting the first Semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where India and Australia are facing each other. Australian captain Steven Smith chose to bat first after winning the toss. Although the Aussie opener Travis Head produced a powerful start, the Indian spinners' unshakable discipline bowling has never produced comfortable breathing for the latest ODI World Cup champions. Also, Indian fielders kept tight in the opportunities. 

See Also: Former Indian Spinner Ravi Ashwin Claims Varun Chakravarthy as X Factor For Team India

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma furious on Kuldeep Yadav

It was the 32nd over, when the deep square leg fielder Kohli threw the ball to the bowler Kuldeep Yadav and Yadav let the ball go to the short mid-wicket fielder Rohit Sharma. Both Kohli and Sharma were unimpressed with that leaving decision from Yadav. 

Virat and Rohit to Kuldeep Yadav🤪#INDvsAUS #KuldeepYadav pic.twitter.com/pFPdzzn1d9

— बलिया वाले 2.0 (@balliawalebaba) March 4, 2025

Australia setting challenging target for India

Aussie opener Travis Head (39) and the middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne (29) lost their wickets after getting starts. However, captain Steven Smith produced a solid knock despite a few lucky escapes. He scored 73 off 96 balls with four fours and one six before Mohammed Shami bowled him. Smith's batting set a good platform for the Aussies to build up a challenging first innings total for Australia, which can put the strong-batting line-up India under pressure. 

Unlike the previous ODI at Dubai, where India and New Zealand faced each other and both batters struggled to handle the spinners, especially the Blackcaps' batters under the lights, the India vs Australia match pitch seems better for the batters. However, the pitch is still favouring the spinners well enough.  

India already securing a spot in the semifinals, and the Indian team is expected to make a few changes for their match against New Zealand. Reports said that Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav might be rested for today's match, with Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy likely to replace them.

India Likely to Rest Key Players Against New Zealand, Arshdeep & Varun to Get a Chance

Since India has already qualified for the semifinals, the Indian team might use this match to try out Arshdeep & Varun Chakravarthy players and their main bowlers Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav a break before the semifinals. Shami and Kuldeep have been important for India’s bowling, so the Indian team is resting them could help keep them fresh for the semifinals.

🚨 ARSHDEEP & VARUN WILL PLAY vs NEW ZEALAND 🚨

- Mohammed Shami & Kuldeep Yadav likely rested in today's match, Arshdeep Singh & Varun Chakravarthy likely replaced them. (Express Sports). pic.twitter.com/WyVN4IqB0Q

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) March 2, 2025

ALSO READ: Rishabh Pant Returns: Star Wicketkeeper Set to Play Against New Zealand Today!

For Arshdeep and Varun, this is a golden opportunity to show their skills and performances in this match. Arshdeep has been effective with the new ball swing and in the death overs with yorkers, while Varun’s mystery spin could strengthen the bowling attack. With these changes, it will be interesting to see how India will play this match against New Zealand.

Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav achieved a significant milestone in his cricketing career by claiming his 300th international wicket. He did it in the course of the current 2025 ICC Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in Dubai. Yadav claimed his 300th international wicket as Salman Agha. The spinner was India's best bowler (3/40) as India bowled Pakistan out for 241.
How Yadav performed against Pakistan

Kuldeep Yadav against Pakistan in ODIs:

- 1/37 (8) in Asia Cup.
- 2/41 (10) in Asia Cup.
- 2/32 (9) in WC.
- 5/25 (8) in Asia Cup.
- 2/35 (10) in WC.
- 3/40 (9) in CT.

He picked 15 wickets in 6 matches against Pakistan in ODIs - What a bowler! 🙇 pic.twitter.com/U3eKsVCAGd

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) February 23, 2025

ALSO SEE: Ind vs pak: Rohit Sharma leaves legends behind, sets new odi record

Yadav has scalped 56 wickets from 13 Test matches, 177 wickets from 110 ODIs, and 69 wickets from 40 T20Is.In the game against Pakistan, he was only one wicket shy of the prized milestone. Demonstrating his skills, Yadav removed crucial Pakistani batters Salman Agha and Shaheen Afridi on back-to-back deliveries to notch up 301 international wickets, now 302. However, he lost his third worldwide hat trick because Naseem Shah survived Yadav's ball.