March 4th 2025.
Former India spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin recently shared a clever strategy for the upcoming Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia. He suggested that captain Rohit Sharma should give the new ball to mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and ask him to bowl over the stumps to the left-handed Aussie, Travis Head. This tactic was inspired by Chakaravarthy's impressive performance in India's final group game against New Zealand, where he claimed five wickets and helped bowl the Black Caps out for 205.
Ashwin explained his reasoning on his Youtube channel, 'Ash Ki Baat', stating that Head tends to show all three stumps and then clears his leg to hit the ball over the field. With Chakaravarthy's unique style and the advantage of a new ball, Ashwin believes that India will have an edge over Australia. He also added that it will be an exciting contest to watch.
Head was the hero for Australia in the 2023 World Cup final against India, where he scored 137 runs and led his team to victory. Ashwin believes that Head will not take a back seat against Chakaravarthy, and it will either result in a strong start for Australia or a quick wicket for India. Ashwin also pointed out that India has other spin options for the right-handed Australian batsmen in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
The upcoming semifinal between India and Australia in Dubai will be a rematch of the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup final, and the winner will secure a spot in the Champions Trophy title clash on March 9. While Australia has only won one out of their three group matches due to rain, India has won all three of their group stage matches.
Ashwin also suggested that India should try to win the toss and put Australia to bat first. He believes that if India can get Head's wicket early on, they will have a strong chance of controlling the game. However, if India bats first, Ashwin is confident that they will score a high total, unless the Australian bowler Spencer Johnson performs exceptionally well.
Overall, Ashwin believes that India will go into the game as the favorite due to their strong spin choke, but Australia will have nothing to lose. It will be an exciting and crucial match for both teams.
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