Australia introduced two changes in their playing XI for the high-octane clash in Dubai.
Australia skipper Steven Smith called for two changes for the Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final vs India in Dubai. Tanveer Sangha, spinner, replaced Spencer Johnson, pacer, for the highly-anticipated encounter on March 4.
One of the reasons to introduce a leg-break bowler in such a crucial match is because of the conditions at the centre. The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium looked dry and bare ahead of the toss. It is expected to get drier, slow down, and turn as the match progresses, making it an ideal wicket for the spinners. In this scenario, an additional spinner will come in handy. Australia further bolstered their spin attack by including Cooper Connolly to replace the injured Matthew Short.
Another reason to bench Johnson could be because of his poor form in the tournament so far. In two matches, against England and Afghanistan, the KKR pacer took two wickets while leaking 103 runs.
Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Rohit Sharma announced that India will stick to its winning combination from their last contest against New Zealand two days back.
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The 23-year-old played his debut ODI match in September last year. So far, Sangha has played just three matches while scalping two wickets. He comes on the back of a mediocre Big Bash League season for the runners-up, Sydney Thunder. In six games, Sangha picked up seven wickets at an average of 24.57.
Playing against India in such a high-voltage clash may be a challenge. But this is a good opportunity for the youngster to make his mark in the yellow outfit. As the pitch slows down, he can use it to his advantage and attack the fragile top order. He can also be useful in the middle overs alongside Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
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