Ravi Shastri solves India's selection dilemma, tells Gambhir, Rohit how to beat Australia in Champions Trophy semifinal

Ravi Shastri solves India's selection dilemma, tells Gambhir, Rohit how to beat Australia in Champions Trophy semifinal

Ravi Shastri solves India's selection dilemma, tells Gambhir, Rohit how to beat Australia in Champions Trophy semifinal ByHT Sports Desk Mar 03, 2025 12:32 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Ravi Shastri seems to have found the fix to India's selection headache ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia on Tuesday.

Following their commanding 44-run win over New Zealand in the final Group fixture of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India find themselves in a fix. Heading into the semifinal against Australia on Tuesday, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir have a decision to make – stick with the team that fetched them victory over New Zealand or go back to the Playing XI that beat Bangladesh and Pakistan. About 24 hours ago, the decision would have been simple. Harshit Rana, with 3/31 against Bangladesh and 1/30 versus Pakistan, was the second front-line pacer in the team after Mohammed Shami, with Hardik Pandya the third fast-bowling option.

Have India figured out their Playing XI for the semifinal against Australia?(Getty/ANI)

But Varun Chakaravarthy's fantastic show Sunday night in Dubai, where he claimed a career-best 5/42 to help India bowl out New Zealand for 205 defending 249. Rohit admitted that Varun's form has given him and the team a 'good headache' but even the captain would know that in a crunch game as the semi-final, let alone against a team like Australia, every call matters.

So which Playing XI should India go ahead with? If you ask former India coach Ravi Shastri, this is what he has to say. "I would go with the same XI because the turnaround is less than 48 hours. The square is a little tired at the moment and people would have run on the pitch that will be used the day after. So the spinners will again come into play".

India, particularly Rohit, knows what it's like to lose to Australia in a knockout game. The scars of November 19, 2023, are still fresh despite India going on to win a T20 World Cup. That defeat instilled a sense of fear in the hearts and minds of Indian fans. India, lately, haven't had much success against Australia, recently losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. They have, in history, beaten Australia just twice in ICC knockouts – the T20 World Cup in South Africa and the 2011 World Cup in India. For that to change, Shastri suggests India play the same team that beat New Zealand, and if given the opportunity to bat first, put up a decent total and let the spinners do their trick.

"So if you bat first, put anything over 240-250, it's going to be very competitive in a big game like a semi-final," said Shastri at the end of the match.

In the 2023 World Cup final, India paid the price for batting first, as the tacky Ahmedabad surface did not allow the Indian batters to take off. India, despite their brilliant batting, have shown a tendency to slow down whenever the wicket is either turning or slow. India must be aware not to repeat the same mistakes from that damned evening in Ahmedabad to ensure smooth sailing into the final on Sunday, where, if qualified, they will face the winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa, taking place on Wednesday.