It is abundantly clear that only the teams well-endowed in the bowling department are doing well in the Champions Trophy. A healthy mix of top-class pace and spin bowling options, rather than relying on part-timers, has paid dividends. A batter who can roll his arm over to fill in a few overs does not serve the purpose in  ODIs. This Champions Trophy has shown that having five good bowlers in the playing XI is imperative, unlike in T20s, where a couple of part-timers are enough. Teams with good bowling units are doing well, be it India, South Africa, New Zealand, or even Afghanistan. Meanwhile, sides like Pakistan and England have suffered due to their reliance on part-timers.

India were smart to rope in an extra spinner Varun Chakravarthy in their 15 at the expense of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Having five frontline spinners in addition to four pace bowlers, they had all bases covered, and it has shown in the way they have dominated their first two games against Bangladesh and Pakistan. The three bowlers on the bench, Arshdeep Singh, Varun and Washington Sundar would have made it to playing  XI of many other teams in the tournament.