Champions Trophy: Spin-heavy India look to tame gritty Australia in semis

India have been dominant throughout the tournament, finishing the group stage unbeaten. Rohit Sharma's men began their campaign with a hard-fought six-wicket win against Bangladesh, riding on a sublime unbeaten 101 not out from Shubman Gill and a five-wicket haul from Mohammed Shami.

They followed it up with a clinical performance against arch-rivals Pakistan, where Virat Kohli's masterful century anchored a six-wicket victory in a 241-run chase. Against New Zealand, India faced a stern test but emerged unscathed as Shreyas Iyer's 79 guided them to 249/9 before Varun Chakravarthy's five-wicket haul sealed a comfortable win, confirming their place in the semifinals.

The last two times India and Australia clashed in a major knockout match, Australia emerged victorious, winning both the 2023 World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final. With India opting for a spin-heavy squad tailored for the slow conditions in Dubai, questions arose about whether they had included one spinner too many. However, Sunday's match validated their selection, and the late decision to introduce Varun Chakravarthy -- a relatively inexperienced bowler in the 50-over format -- could prove to be a game-changer.

On the other hand, Australia's journey has been one of resilience. Despite missing key players before the tournament began, they have showcased incredible depth and mental fortitude. Their campaign kicked off with a record-breaking chase against England, where Josh Inglis's stunning unbeaten 120 powered them to a thrilling win in Lahore.

Rain played spoilsport in their subsequent matches, with their fixture against South Africa abandoned and a rain-affected game against Afghanistan also ending in a no-result, securing their passage to the semi-finals.

Australia have called up spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly to replace injured opener Matt Short in their Champions Trophy squad. Short sustained a quad injury against Afghanistan and was unable to recover in time for the knockout stages, forcing Australia to make the late change. Connolly, who made his ODI debut in England last year, was originally named as a travelling reserve but now joins the main squad as they prepare for a high-stakes semifinal against India.

With Short unavailable, Australia must find a new opening partner. Jake Fraser-McGurk is the only specialist opener available, but his struggles in ODIs -- scoring just 98 runs at an average of 14.00 -- make his selection uncertain.

Additionally, his inclusion would leave Australia with one less bowling option, which might prompt them to consider Connolly, whose left-arm spin could be valuable in Dubai's conditions. If the selectors choose not to promote Fraser-McGurk, a middle-order batter, possibly the in-form Josh Inglis could be asked to move up and take on the opening role.

Now, the two cricketing powerhouses meet in Dubai, with history, rivalry, and a place in the final at stake. India's batting has been anchored by Gill, Iyer, and Kohli, while their bowling attack -- led by Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and Chakravarthy -- has been in stellar form. Australia, despite being depleted, remain dangerous, with Inglis, Matthew Short, and Alex Carey showing their prowess with the bat, while Adam Zampa and Ben Dwarshuis provide potency with the ball.

When: Tuesday, March 4

Where: Dubai International Stadium

Time: The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm IST, while the toss will take place at 2 pm.

Broadcast details: The match will be broadcast on Star Sports Network.

Live Streaming: The match will be live-streamed on JioHotstar.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, K.L. Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.

Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly.