3 major positives for Team India from the group stage of the 2025 Champions Trophy ft. 4-man spin attack

India are showing no signs of slowing down in the ODI format. After rampaging their way to the final of the 2023 World Cup, the Men in Blue have now made the semifinals of the 2025 Champions Trophy without being in any danger of dropping a game.

In the group stage, India brushed aside Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand to finish at the top of Group A. They will face off against Australia in the first semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 4. As always, Rohit Sharma and Co. are the favorites to come out on top.

There's a good reason for that. India have plenty of positive takeaways from the group stage, which saw them play an excellent brand of cricket while firing on all cylinders.

India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.

On that note, here are three big positives for Team India from the group stage of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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#3 India recorded wins while batting first as well as while chasing

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

In the first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan, India batted second. They won both encounters by six-wicket margins and weren't in any real discomfort during the chases.

Against New Zealand, Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl, giving Rohit Sharma and Co. the chance to take the first strike. India delivered in that game as well, with dew not really being a major factor in Dubai. Rohit had four spinners at his disposal who managed to choke the opposition even though batting became slightly easier in the second innings.

India are in a position where they're not dependent on the toss, and that's a good thing because Rohit can't seem to win one to save his life right now.

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#2 Almost all Indian batters are in good form right now

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have been two of India's most in-form batters in the ODI format. Both openers have notched up impressive centuries in recent times and have maximized the powerplay with unerring consistency.

Virat Kohli reached the three-figure mark against Pakistan and is known to be a run bank in 50-over cricket. Shreyas Iyer has been one of the team's most dependable performers and bailed them out of trouble against New Zealand.

Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel made important contributions in the previous game as well. KL Rahul isn't at his best, but he too has an unbeaten cameo in a chase in the 2025 Champions Trophy and has generally aced a middle-order role in ODIs.

India have most batters in form, which is a major boost for them ahead of the knockouts. They have no real weak links in their lineup and can be backed to come up with a complete display irrespective of a couple of failures.

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#1 India have a four-man spin attack to exploit Dubai

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

By playing Varun Chakaravarthy against New Zealand, India gave themselves the option of fielding four spin options for the first semifinal against Australia. And if the pitch is anything like the one that was dished out for the Kiwi clash, they're likely to go down that route.

That's a massive positive for India, who can boast of spin riches unlike any other team in the competition. Australia will no doubt be worried about the prospect of the four-man spin attack running through their lineup and might have to play Cooper Connolly in the crunch game to give themselves enough insurance in the batting and spin departments.