Aakash Chopra is impressed by the Indian team's performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. They beat the Kiwis by four wickets on Sunday to lift the Champions Trophy title for the third time.
The Indian spinners shaped the win, which was then completed by the Indian batters. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets each in the final. Chopra was impressed by the duo and termed them India's new "Kulcha" combination.
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Aakash Chopra Praises Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep who famously paired alongside Chahal and between 2019 to 2021 the spinners brought a lot of success for India. With Chahal not in favour of selection at the moment, Chopra feels Chakvarathy can now be paired alongside the chinaman. In his recent YouTube video, Aakash Chopra termed Chakravarthy and Kuldeep as India's new spin pair in white-ball cricket.
"A new 'Kulcha' has come. It used to be Kuldeep and Yuzi Chahal earlier. Now 'Cha' is Chakaravarthy. I will put my hand up and say that I thought Kuldeep might not get a chance in the final. However, Kuldeep got a chance and he bowled a googly to get the dangerous Rachin Ravindra out with his first ball" said Aakash Chopra.
He further observed that Kuldeep's dismissal of Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson in back to back overs pegged back the Kiwi innings.
"He didn't stop there. He got Kane Williamson out. You almost pushed them back by 25-30 runs. You instilled life in this game by dismissing Rachin Ravindra. Kuldeep Yadav has been outstanding. It seemed like he had floundered a little against Australia, but he has continued to impress. You need skills to pick up wickets in the middle overs," he observed.
Aakash Chopra On Varun Chakravarthy's Selection In India XI
Chopra concluded by speaking about Varun Chakravarthy's selection into the Indian playing XI. Starting with the league game against New Zealand, Varun Chakravarthy was given a consistent run. He took nine wickets in the tournament, five of which came in the league game against the Kiwis.
"Let's talk about Varun Chakaravarthy's mystery. He was a slightly left-field selection. His name wasn't even there in the initial selection. Harshit Rana came for Jasprit Bumrah and Varun came for Yashasvi Jaiswal. He didn't play against Bangladesh and Pakistan, and you started wondering whether he would play or not," he said.
Chakravarthy will next turn up for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025 when they take on RCB in the campaign opener in Kolkata on March 22.
Also Read: "Not to forget the silent hero" - Rohit Sharma hails star India batter after CT 2025 win
