Champions Trophy semifinal: Spin-powered India look favourites for rare win against Australia in ICC knockouts

It's India's spin vs Australia's steel as Rohit Sharma & Co. Eye first ICC knockout win in ODIs against six-time world champions since 2011
DUBAI: Ever since India's 44-win win over New Zealand in their last league clash guaranteed them of a semifinal encounter against world champions Australia on Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium here, the social media scene is abuzz with memes of how a certain Travis Head would be again itching in anticipation of bashing up the Indian bowlers again!
Indeed, on Nov 19, 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Head played the innings of his life-a blazing 137 off just 120 balls against a hapless India that gave Australia a resounding six-wicket win in the final of the ODI World Cup. Head's scintillating century broke the hearts of more than one lakh Indians inside the venue, and millions who were watching on TV.

Almost 15 months later, as their team takes on Australia in an ICC knockout match again, India's fans have a genuine reason to feel afraid of an encore from the dangerous Head and the six-time ODI World Cup winners. It's certainly not a match-up India would've preferred, considering that history weighs heavily against them here-India haven't beaten Australia in an ICC knockout match since 2011.
However, things are different this time. Powered by their deadly spin quartet -mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took five for 42 to dismantle New Zealand in the last league match of the tournament on Sunday night, is its latest member-and thriving on familiarity with the conditions at the Dubai International Stadium which has rightly been termed as "unfair" by many, Rohit Sharma & Co have a golden chance to avenge that 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat when they face off with a depleted Australia in a clash of the titans in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal here on Tuesday.

For a change, when they take the field against an in-form, raging India, riding a three-match winning streak in what should be another spin-friendly track here, the Aussies will be the underdogs. In a big gamble, India picked as many as five spinners, drawing flak from many. However, the move has proved to be a masterstroke, as the slow pitch here has aided spin.
Fired by a rare four-man spin attack, which took nine out of the 10 wickets that fell and bowled 128 dot balls in the 39 overs that they bowled amongst themselves, India overpowered the Kiwis on Sunday night. Even as the temptation to continue with this template is mouth-watering, they now face a big dilemma -whether to persist with Varun or bring back pacer Harshit Rana, who was rested for the last match.

If he plays again, Varun could bamboozle the Aussies too. Describing what makes him such a tricky customer, Varun's spin bowling colleague Axar Patel said, "It (his delivery) is very difficult to read from the hand, and the pace with which he bowls is very difficult. So, I think, if a batter misses (the line), there is a higher chance of getting out. He is fast in the air also."
In case they do decide to axe one out of the four spinners, the decision won't be easy as all four- Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun have bowled well in Dubai.

The Aussies, meanwhile, are missing their lead fast bowling cast of regular captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. As if not having their main pace bowling trio was not enough, they have also lost the services of explosive opener and part-time spinner Matthew Short, who had cracked a 66-ball 63 to play his part in Australia's epic 352-run chase against England at Lahore in their lung-opener and conceded just 0-21 in seven overs against Afghanistan, due to a calf injury. The current world champions have replaced Short with 21-year-old left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly, who has scored 10 runs in three ODIs so far.
In comparison to India's overflowing spin cupboard, Australia have only one genuine spinner in leg-spinner Adam Zampa, with part-timers Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head as his support cast.

Still, even though they have little resources, Australia can never be counted out of an ICC tournament, especially once they are in the knockouts.
In the 2025 Champions Trophy, though, Australia's campaign, after they pulled off that stunning chase against England, most notably without much contribution from Head and captain Steven Smith, has been badly affected by rain. In ominous signs for India, Head looked almost back to his best against Afghanistan, having stroked a free-flowing 40-ball 59 before rain arrived to abandon the match. India's fans would be desperate to see the attacking left-handed opener head back to the pavilion as soon as possible.
Australia's thin bowling line-up, which conceded 351 for eight against England and 273 against Afghanistan, needs to pull up its socks, albeit it must be said that Pakistan's wickets were batting beauties. Still, bowling to India's rampaging batting line-up-an in-form Shubman Gill, a now aggressive Rohit Sharma, an all-time ODI great Virat Kohli and the consistent Shreyas Iyer, who seems eager to prove a point, won't be easy for the Aussies.
If India, the clear favourites here, do beat Australia, it will be their first win over the multiple time world champions in an ICC knockout stage since they famously downed Ricky Ponting's Aussies in the quarterfinal of the 2011 World Cup at Ahmedabad, thanks to half-centuries by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (53), current head coach Gautam Gambhir (50) and Yuvraj Singh (57 not out).