ICC Champions Trophy 2017: 5 things that might cost India the final

The magnitude and the pressure of the summit clash for the eighth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will be rocketing sky high as the tournament favourites and defending champions, India take on arch-rivals Pakistan for the coveted trophy on Sunday at The Oval.

Given the quality of cricket exhibited by both the sides up till their journey to the finals, millions of cricket frenzy fans all around the world are set to be enthralled by a fiercely contested final.

Although the Indian team has enjoyed success against their counterparts over the past couple of years in the ICC tournaments, here are the five things that Virat Kohli and his men need to be careful about in the finals.

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#5 Lack of balls faced by the middle order

Barring his knock against Sri Lanka, MS Dhoni was not required to bat in any of the matches

One of the major reasons to ponder upon for the team management will be the lack of balls faced by the middle order during the tournament. With the top three of the batting unit contributing the bulk of the score in the team’s total, the middle order has not been exposed yet in the tournament.

Despite the wickets being conducive for stroke play, this might work against the Indian team if they happen to lose a couple of early wickets as the new batsman will need a bit of time to adjust to the pace and the bounce of the surface which might slow down the proceedings for the team.

#4 Over dependency on the top three

The top three have been in fabulous form for the Indian team

The top three of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been in prolific form throughout the tournament. The openers have ensured a solid start at the top of the order and have more often than not, laid a strong foundation for a late onslaught in the back end of the innings.

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is enduring a dream run on the international circuit for past couple of years. The skipper of the Indian team has bailed the side out of pressure situations on numerous occasions, all by himself.

In the semi-final match against the Tigers, the 28-year-old scored an unbeaten 96 to ensure a place in a place in the finals of the tournament for the Indian team.

Going into the last hurdle of the competition, the Indian team seems to be heavily reliant on their top three batters to guide them over the finishing line which could also result in their downfall.

#3 Complacency

Captain Virat Kohli needs to ensure that his team does not take anything for granted

The two most important things that the Virat Kohli and the team management should control before the Men in Blue take the field for the finals are complacency and lack of efforts on the part of the players.

Although the Indian team recorded a thumping 124 runs victory over Pakistan in their first match of this iconic tournament, the Pakistan outfit has drastically turned things around to script their way into the finals of the tournament.

The Indian team needs to put their best foot forward going into the final if they wish to get past their arch rivals in this high-voltage clash and successfully defend their title.

Lack of efforts and taken for granted attitude will surely dent their chances of winning the match.

#2 Failure of the spin duo to provide breakthroughs in the middle overs

Ashwin’s spell in the middle overs will be crucial for the team

The bowling unit of the Indian team has failed to control the run rate of the opposition in the middle overs, resulting in the game drifting away from the Indian team.

The primary cause of concern for this is the lack of wickets provided by the experienced duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle overs. The spin wizards of the Indian team have been outstanding with the ball in the Test arena but have failed to weave the same magic in the shorter format of the game.

What makes things worse for them is that the wickets in England have also not helped their cause as the batting friendly pitches have failed to provide any turn for both of them. They are the key members of the Indian bowling unit and their insipid performance in the final match could hurt India's chances of sealing a victory.

#1 The fifth bowler dilemma

Hardik Pandya needs to get consistent with his line and length

The skipper of the Indian team, Virat Kohli has been struggling with options for the fifth bowler ever since the beginning of this iconic tournament.

With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja expected to complete their quota of 10 overs each, the dilemma for Kohli will be the fifth bowling option.

Hardik Pandya, with his inconsistent line and length, has been expensive with the ball throughout the tournament. Although the Indian team was blessed with a match-turning effort by Kedar Jadhav in the semi-finals, the management needs to take into consideration that the middle order of the Pakistan team does not comprise of many left-handers.

Also, Yuvraj Singh is yet to roll his arm over with his slow left arm spinners in the tournament. If the experiment of Pandya and Jadhav in the middle overs to complete the quota of 10 overs does not go according to plan, there will be ample amount of reasons to ponder for Virat Kohli.