TimesofIndia.com in DUBAI: Familiar setting, familiar situation and India would hope it’s an unfamiliar result when they take on Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai on Wednesday.
The scars of 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final, 2023 ODI World Cup final will still be fresh for every Indian cricket fan but the Men in Blue have the opportunity to apply the ointment when they lock horns at the Dubai International Stadium.
It hasn’t been an ideal campaign for the Aussies as two of their games in Pakistan were rain-hit and they had to take the next available flight to Dubai for acclimitisation ahead of the knockouts. They haven’t had enough game time before the clash against India but will still remain a formidable opposition which turns into a beast on big days. And no one would know that more than Rohit Sharma, who was part of both fixtures in 2015 and 2023.
“It’s a great opposition to play against. All we had to do is what we’ve been thinking about the last three games. And we have to approach that game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play and stuff like that. But I think the more and more we focus on what we need to do as a group, as a player, as a batting unit, as a bowling unit, that helps us a lot. I said it, yes, but look, Australia have been such a great team over the years.
“So, we will expect some fight backs. We will expect some nervy times as well in the middle. But that is how the game is being played these days. And you’re talking about the semifinal. Obviously, the pressure will be on both teams to win that game. But I think it’s important for us to just keep focusing on what we need to do, keep doing our things and keep doing those things right. And then the result will come if we keep doing the things that we are supposed to,” says Rohit when he asked about the opposition ahead of the last-four clash.
There is growing chatter on the unfair advantage for India as they are playing all their games at one venue, including the knockouts, but Rohit had a different take on the matter and asserted “Dubai is not our home”. In his typical avatar, the Indian captain elaborated how the pitches behaved differently for all their group games and they are still not aware about the pitch for Tuesday.
“No, look, the three matches we played, the nature of the surface was the same. But in all three games, the pitch has behaved differently. Today, we saw that when the bowlers were bowling, their ball was swinging a little. We didn’t see that in the first two games when our bowlers were bowling. And in the evening, it’s a little cold in the air. So, there are obviously a lot of chances of that swing. We know this. But in the three games we played, there are four or five surfaces that are being used. So, every surface has a different nature.
“In the semi-final, we don’t know which pitch is going to be played. Yes, we don’t know which pitch is going to be played in the semi-final. But whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening. We will play on that. This is not our home, this is Dubai. So, we don’t play so many matches here. This is new for us too,” explains Rohit.
In the three matches, India have aced the conditions game to perfection and took it a notch higher when Varun Chakaravarthy replaced Harshit Rana in the playing XI for the game against New Zealand on Sunday. The mystery spinner repaid the faith with a fifer and helped India defend a 249-run total.
Now ahead of the Australia game, the Indian think-tank need to take the tough call of whether to retain the same XI or keep the additional seamer in either Harshit Rana or Arshdeep Singh. The Indian captain kept cards close to his chest but agreed it is “tempting” to stick to what worked for them on Sunday.
The result on 19 November, 2023, broke a billion hearts and captain Rohit, too, was crestfallen. He stayed indoors for weeks after the game but when the next opportunity came his way, he let his bat do the talking in the 2024 T20 World Cup knockouts to settle some scores. On Wednesday, he will get another crack, this time to go one up, in the format which is very dear to him.
