Varun Chakravarthy recently starred in his maiden Champions Trophy outing with a five-wicket haul.
Cricket News
India are set to lock horns with Australia in the first semi-final of the ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. The upcoming clash will be the first time the two cricketing powerhouses will play against each other in the 50-over format after the final of the 2023 installment of the World Cup.
Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma, provided an ambiguous response to whether India would stick to a four-pronged spin attack.
“We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze four spinners. If we don’t, then we don’t. Whatever works for us in terms of the bowling options, we will try and do that. The reason I say that is because the conditions here are – we are very much aware of the conditions, and we know exactly what works and what doesn’t work. So, we’ll just give it a day. We’ll think about it, what is the right combination to go with. But it is tempting,” stated Rohit, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
He also addressed the dilemma in relation to Varun Chakravarthy’s inclusion in the playing XI after his superlative five-wicket haul against New Zealand at the same venue.
“Now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. He did everything that was asked for. And I said it at the post-match as well, that he’s got something different about him. And when he gets it right, he knocks people over and he takes five-five wickets. We’ll just try and assess. We just want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like and how we can try and see what kind of bowling options will work against them,” he added.
Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Semi-Final 1, IND vs AUS Match Prediction
This is not our home, this is Dubai: Rohit
The top-order batter also emphasised on the conditions in Dubai being equally alien to the Indian unit as it is for the opposition teams to have played in Dubai so far. He also shed light on the importance of adapting to conditions, in particular in a high-stakes encounter.
“And you’re talking about the semi-final. Obviously, the pressure will be on both teams to win that game. But I think it’s important for us to just keep focusing on what we need to do, keep doing our things and keep doing those things right. And then the result will come if we keep doing the things that we are supposed to. In the semi-final, we don’t know which pitch are we going to be play on. But whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening. We will play on that. This is not our home, this is Dubai. So, we don’t play so many matches here. This is new for us too,” concluded Rohit.
While Australia are competing with a second-string side, the 50-over champions can never be ruled out when it comes to ICC events. The clash is set to be a high-octane contest between the runners-up of the previous Champions Trophy edition and the winners of the 50-over World Cup.
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