However, this won’t be an easy feat, as Australia remains a formidable opponent in global tournaments, even without their key players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc. Their impressive chase of 352 runs against England in Lahore just days ago underscores their resilience.
The last time India secured a victory over Australia in the knockout stage of an ICC event was during the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals. Since then, they have faced defeats in the semifinals of the 2015 ODI World Cup, the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, and the World Test Championship final in 2023.
This Indian team hopes to change that disappointing narrative from the last 14 years, largely due to the presence of some exceptional spinners in their lineup.
Patience rather than magic is the key in bowling on these decks, as revealed by Varun Chakravarthy.
“The pitch here is not a rank turner as such, which people were projecting it to be, But definitely it was holding on a bit, and it was deviating a little bit to create the doubt. So basically, you had to play around it,” said Varun Chakravarthy who took five wickets against New Zealand on Sunday.
Australia have only one genuine spinner in Adam Zampa, while hoping for part-timers Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head to deliver the goods.
Matthew Short has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a calf injury, which has robbed the Australian bowling unit of a handy spin option.
The absence of premier names was felt in the previous matches as the Aussies conceded 352 and 273 against England and Afghanistan, respectively, albeit in better batting conditions.
