In the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal, legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has predicted India, led by Rohit Sharma, as clear favorites against Australia in Dubai. He highlighted weaknesses in Australia’s spin attack and the absence of key players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc as significant disadvantages. Gavaskar emphasized India’s superior spinners and suggested that India could benefit from chasing rather than setting a target. Despite speculations about the pitch conditions, he noted that it offered some grip for spinners and was manageable for batting, acknowledging the exceptional performance of India’s bowlers against New Zealand.
India faces off against Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal© AFP
Renowned Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has made a bold prediction about the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal between India and Australia set to take place in Dubai on Tuesday. Gavaskar has identified the Rohit Sharma-led team as clear favorites for this matchup, highlighting a significant weakness in the current Australian squad. He asserts that Australia’s spin bowlers are not as formidable as those of India, which could pose a substantial challenge for them. Additionally, he noted that the absence of key players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc will greatly influence the game’s outcome.
“On this pitch, yes, because Australia doesn’t seem to have a strong spinning attack, compounded by the fact that they are missing crucial players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc,” Gavaskar shared with India Today.
“Their batting lineup is impressive. The batting approach is very aggressive. Ideally, India should aim to chase rather than put Australia in a position to chase,” he added.
There has been considerable discussion regarding the pitch conditions in Dubai after New Zealand struggled to meet a 250-run target, with Indian spinners delivering an outstanding performance. However, Gavaskar remarked that batting on the surface is not out of the question.
“Not at all. If you observed our spinners in the initial overs, they received minimal assistance. As the pitch improved post-rolling and after the dew set in, the spinners gained a bit more grip, but it wasn’t an unplayable pitch,” he stated.
“There was some turn. It’s just that the bowlers performed exceptionally well, rendering it difficult for the New Zealanders,” he concluded.
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