Dubai: Behind his abrasive exterior, Gautam Gambhir is still searching for “that perfect game”. Another coach may not want to be too hard on himself and his players after four wins in a row and think that there is no such thing as a perfect game. But this is the Gambhir way.

All coaches constantly chase results and excellence, that’s what they sign up for. So Gambhir isn’t any different. It’s just that the Indian dressing room may be getting used to their new coach and he may now know them better. India has results to show and that’s usually a good indicator.

If you had not been to a Gambhir media conference before, you may have thought he was a cocktail of emotions only minutes after the win against Australia on Tuesday that earned India a ticket to the final on Sunday.

The Indian head coach scoffed at a question singling out Virat’s importance in a run chase, then a little later, laud his senior batter for being a phenomenal ODI cricketer. He would critique his critics for over-relying on averages but pose KL Rahul’s ODI average as the answer for why he was picked.

“I don’t even care about it honestly,” Gambhir replied when asked if he felt vindicated over team selections. That was just Gambhir being his confrontational self.

Whether you believed with Gambhir when he disagreed that India’s Dubai home base has helped them, you couldn’t dispute between him, captain and selectors, they have plotted to maximising that advantage as best they can.

Spin twist

The last time India played an ICC event without Jasprit Bumrah was in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and they could simply not find a way to cover his big shoes. For the Champions Trophy, the Indian think tank was quick to identify a way to minimize Bumrah’s absence. They shored up their spin strength. Varun Chakravarthy was parachuted to the ODI mix based on his T20I returns against England.

“We thought, it’s only five games in this tournament and very unlikely that the (extra) batter is going to play at any stage, unless there’s an injury. With Varun, we knew that there is a chance that he might play without any injury in the team,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma said. “So, looking at the surfaces here, hearing about what has happened in Dubai in the past two months. We were watching ILT20 and we thought the slower bowlers will be a lot more helpful. If we need a batter to come in, Rishabh (Pant)is there for us.”

Middle order control

Pant was not initially intended to serve as a reserve player. There was considerable discussion regarding whether both Pant and KL Rahul should occupy positions in the middle order, which would have resulted in Shreyas Iyer being excluded to prevent a sequence of five right-handed batsmen. Ultimately, it was concluded that Iyer's impressive performance in ODIs warranted his inclusion. Consequently, the decision was made to rely on all-rounder Axar Patel to fulfill the role of a floater in ODI cricket, similar to his contributions in the previous T20 World Cup.

Both Iyer and Axar have justified this trust. Iyer has demonstrated remarkable fluency in the middle order against spin on the slow pitches present here. His aggressive approach has provided Virat Kohli with the opportunity to settle into his innings during run chases without the need for undue risk, as exemplified in the semi-final against Australia and the match against Pakistan.

In a similar vein, Axar has also made significant contributions while batting at No. 5. His left-handed batting and adeptness against spin have posed additional challenges for opposing teams. To accommodate Axar's elevation in the batting order, KL Rahul has moved down to No. 6, yet he has retained his proficiency in middle-order strategies. The wicketkeeper-batsman has successfully guided the team to victory on two occasions, against Australia and Bangladesh.

Good balance

Axar's contributions with the bat have enabled India to field three authentic spin options in two matches, and even four spinners in the last two encounters. The inclusion of Chakravarthy, who made a significant impact against New Zealand and secured the crucial wicket of Travis Head in the semi-final against Australia, has been particularly noteworthy.

Furthermore, India has demonstrated the ability to maintain the appropriate batting tempo, with Rohit Sharma providing rapid starts and Hardik Pandya contributing effectively at the No. 7 position. The Indian captain's strike rate of 107 aligns well with Hardik's approach, as he typically enters the game with the freedom to play aggressively.

"I believe that cricket involves stepping outside your comfort zone, which is essential for growth. The results speak for themselves," Gambhir remarked. "While some may reference the 3-0 Test defeat to New Zealand or the 3-1 series loss in Australia, everyone in the dressing room, including the coaching staff and players, is committed to remaining outside their comfort zones. We hope to continue advancing Indian cricket."

Gambhir aspires for his pursuit of the ideal game to culminate successfully in the final.

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