CHENNAI: It was June 26, 2024. India captain Rohit Sharma was at the press conference room of the Providence Stadium in Guyana ahead of the T20 World Cup semifinal. India were coming on the back of a big win against Australia — a result that had put on the brink of elimination. Afghanistan's win over Bangladesh sealed their fate.
At that press conference, Sharma was asked about the one big takeaway from the win against Australia. In his typical way, he paused, let out a wry laugh before saying: "That there is no more Australian cricket team in this competition." It led to laughter.
He went on to explain the significance of the win and why Australia was such a dangerous opponent. Only seven months earlier, Sharma & Co. had been handed what was perhaps the biggest heartbreak of their careers in front of a hundred thousand people at home during the ODI WC final. Sharma was very much aware of the threat Australia posed in a knockout game. He still does even as India get ready to face them once again - this time at the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal - in Dubai.
Which is why, no matter how much he played it down, Sharma knows Steve Smith and his men are perhaps the biggest obstacle between them and the trophy. Travis Head at the top, Smith against spinners and Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, like they showed against England, are capable of taking the game away from the opposition. Not to mention the fact that Australia has one of the best white-ball spinners in the world in Adam Zampa.
The good thing for India is that they have played against each other to know what to expect. "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," Sharma said in Dubai.
That being said, the undeniable fact amidst all the noise and chaos surrounding this tournament and its scheduling is it is probably the best conditions India have in front of them to beat Australia. Unlike the matches in Pakistan, not a single team, including India, have been able to post a total above 250 in a completed innings. The conditions are similar to what the world witnessed during the 2018 Asia Cup played at the same venue, and India have the best resources to make the most of it. Five spinners in the squad, four taking the field on Sunday against New Zealand... it gives them enough options to put a choke hold on any opponent.
We don't know which pitch will be used in the semi-final, but whatever it is, we will have to adapt and see how it goes. And it's not our home either - this is Dubai. We don't play so many matches here, it's new for us as well
Rohit Sharma, India captain
While there is no question about the quality of the players at their disposal — they are a team capable of taking down most opponents irrespective of conditions — but at the same time one cannot deny that the slowish nature of the surfaces has worked out for them. Multiple players from Heinrich Klaasen of South Africa to Matt Henry of New Zealand have spoken about how the luxury of knowing the conditions better puts India in a position of advantage. Smith alluded to it as well ahead of the semifinal. That is not all. Both South Africa and Australia flew to Dubai late on Saturday not knowing where they would be playing the semifinal. In the end, South Africa went back to Pakistan along with New Zealand early on Monday with Australia staying back for the match. "I think had we had stayed and waited for last night's (Sunday) result, we would have had to have flown in today (Monday) and play tomorrow (Tuesday). Not get a chance to train on the surface or get used to the conditions that we have at the (ICC) academy. If we had to go back, we would have just gotten on the same plane as New Zealand and had a day there before," Smith explained before adding how the two days allowed them to rest and train before getting ready for the clash. Meanwhile, Sharma refuted the said advantage stating that India do not play that often in Dubai and are not aware of which pitch they are going to play on. “We don't know which pitch will be used in the semi-final, but whatever it is, we will have to adapt and see how it goes. And it's not our home either - this is Dubai. We don't play so many matches here, it's new for us as well,” he said. Only time will tell how the pitch would play out on Tuesday. However, these are two world-class teams trying to one up the other. And whoever does so will perhaps give themselves the best chance to get their hands on the trophy.