For every bully, there is a bigger bully. Every final boss is eventually outdone. Every hunter becomes the hunted. No one is at the top for long, especially when faced with an opponent of equal might. For a team like India, which has only known sheer invincibility lately, no time would have been better than a semi-final to face an opponent like Australia, who match their every high to perfection.
In the context of the Champions Trophy, this game could do two things. First, it could close the Dubai chapter and, consequently, the constant back-and-forth between Pakistan and the UAE. This scenario would settle India’s unfair venue advantage debate. This will also bring Australia one step closer to ‘completing cricket ‘ since the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup are the only two trophies absent from their cabinet right now. Second, it could help India avenge, at least to some extent, what happened in Ahmedabad in 2023 between both same teams. In essence, it’s really one giant slaying another.
There is, however, no looking away from the fact that Australia might not be as formidable as they would have hoped or have been typically. They are missing several of their first-choice players, and at some point, this has to affect them. Could this game be the moment it catches up to Australia? Probably, if we consider that they last played an international game in the UAE almost four years ago. Although it was a final they won, the situation was entirely contrasting.
Team Overview:
If there is one thing the games in Dubai during this tournament have shown, it’s that spinners are your best friends at this venue. India were bailed out by their spinners in their game against New Zealand a couple of days ago, which by no means was an exceptional case.
Matt Short’s injury has whipped up two new questions for Australia. Who bowls in his place? And who opens with Travis Head in his stead? Cooper Connolly seems to be a pretty obvious answer to the first question. The second, however, is not as straightforward.
Since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, three players, besides Head and Short, have opened for Australia: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Marsh is already out of the mix. This leaves Inglis and Fraser-McGurk, and Australia can get either of them to bat at the top, depending on their game plan. If they intend to field an extra spinner in Tanveer Sangha, Inglis could get the nod. If they want a more comparable replacement, Fraser-McGurk is their man.
India have as many as five spinners in their squad, and they can afford to play at least four of them in this game, especially after how Dubai allowed Varun Chakravarthy to run riot in the last game. But thats not all. More importantly, India have the right weapons to tackle the spin thrown their way, too. Against New Zealand, the Indian top-order could not offer much resistance, but Shreyas Iyer, probably the best contemporary batter against spin, stitched a partnership so compact that India ended up with a respectable total.
Head-to-Head Record:
Australia have played 151 of their ODI matches against India. While many of these games were level-pegging, Australia dominate the match up with 84 wins, while 57 fell in India’s kitty. The remaining 10 games ended without any result.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Slow surface, spin-friendly, and sunny are the three words that perfectly describe what Dubai has offered this tournament. A new pitch will reportedly be dished out for the semi-final, but at a venue where two back-to-back tournaments were played, no strip can be entirely new. The toss-winning captain should look to bat first to make the most of the conditions before the surface further slows down.
Prediction:
Track record votes for Australia. Current form is in India’s favour. One thing, however, can be said with certitude: it’s going to be a down-to-the-wire game.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, PTV Sport, Ten Sports, Myco App
India: Star Sports Network, Network 18, JioCinema App
UK: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action, Sky Sport App
Australia: PrimeVideo
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ, Sky Sports Now, Sky Go
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport Network
Bangladesh: Nagorik TV, T Sports, Toffee app
Sri Lanka: Maharaja TV, Sirasa TV
USA: Willow TV
Caribbean: ESPN Caribbean App
MENA: StarzPlay, CricLife Max, CricLife Max 2
