As India ponder whether to go with three or four spinners against new-look Australia, 2023 ODI World Cup final hero Travis Head remains top of mind
Rohit Sharma and Travis Head
As they head into Tuesday’s first semi-final of the Champions Trophy, India and Australia will have contrasting memories of their last meeting in the knockout phase of an ICC event—the final of the 50-over World Cup in 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where India were halted in their tracks after winning all of their 10 earlier games by Travis Head in a disappointingly one-sided title clash.
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India players during their 44-run win over NZ on Sunday. Pics/PTI
Australia’s 2023 World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins isn’t here at the Champions Trophy. Nor are Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, his pace partners-in-crime, and all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis. These aren’t players that can be easily replaced and yet, Australia have found the resources to make up for their absence. There is a reason why the Aussies are multiple-time World Cup champions, a reason why they are so feared and intimidating when it comes to major tournaments.
Also Read: Rohit: It’s tempting to play four spinners
Smith has run a tight ship
Thrust back into a captaincy role on a temporary basis, Steve Smith has run a tight ship, eking out performances from different personnel at different stages. But this is a new challenge, at a venue where the Aussies will be playing for the first time in this event, against an opposition that has swept all its three league games with reasonable ease and has the depth and variety in spin to make the most of the assistance that the pitches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium have offered.
Scars of ’23 World Cup loss
Rohit Sharma’s India have recovered, in a manner of speaking, from the six-wicket heartbreak in Ahmedabad some 16 months back, though it’s impossible that the scars have disappeared. But they also know that there is no point living in the past. What happened in November 2023 can’t be undone. This is a fresh chapter in a rivalry where their famed opponents have the edge in ICC events — 10-7 in the longer limited-overs format — but India aren’t unaware that if they bring their ‘A’ game to the table, they will be practically unstoppable.
India have reason to look back on their campaign with fondness and confidence. All the top-order batters have spent enough time in the middle to not be caught unawares, while the attack has momentum on its side after bowling out Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand. Pacers and spinners alike have got wickets, Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket burst against the Kiwis creating a dilemma for the team management. India must decide if they should stick with four spinners, like they did in the 44-run win over New Zealand, or leave one spinner out if they opt to go back to Harshit Rana’s added pace, which was impressive in their first
two victories.
Connolly replaces Short
Australia have flexed their muscles in Pakistan, though they will be forced to make at least one change from their last game against Afghanistan. Opener Matthew Short has been ruled out through injury and though Cooper Connolly has been drafted in as his replacement, the chances of Jake Fraser-McGurk figuring in the XI are high. In leggie Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell, they have incisive spinners of their own, but they will know that more than anyone else, it is the explosive Travis Head who will occupy Indian mind spaces.
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