3 pressing concerns for Team India ahead of their 2025 Champions Trophy SF clash against Australia ft. KL Rahul's form

India are gearing up for their first knockout clash of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Men in Blue will lock horns with Australia in the first semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4.

India have been the team to beat so far in the tournament and seem like a well-oiled machine. However, not all of their players are in good form right now, and there are also a couple of questions regarding their ideal combination.

Despite running through the group stage without any hiccups, Rohit Sharma and Co. might lose sleep over a few small areas of concern ahead of the first semifinal against Australia.

India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.

On that note, here are three major concerns for Team India ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal clash against Australia.

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#3 KL Rahul hasn't been convincing in both departments

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

KL Rahul was one of India's most disappointing players against New Zealand as he fell for 23 in soft fashion and was untidy with the gloves. The keeper-batter hasn't had a great Champions Trophy so far, failing to make an impression on both sides of the stumps.

India have confirmed that Rahul is slated to bat at No. 6, and that's a position he's appeared uncomfortable at. Even in the one notable cameo, he played earlier in the tournament against Bangladesh, he was dropped once in the deep and survived two clear run-out opportunities. Strangely, the 32-year-old's usually tidy glovework has let him down as well.

Rahul isn't known for raising his game in knockout matches, and India will hope that he is able to present the best version of himself on Tuesday.

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#2 Mohammed Shami arguably isn't fit to be the lone specialist pacer

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Ryan ten Doeschate had spoken about not overworking the fast bowlers in the lineup against New Zealand. Mohammed Shami bowled just four overs in that clash, three in the powerplay and one through the middle.

Despite Shami's five-fer over Bangladesh, it's clear that he isn't the best version of himself right now. The veteran fast bowler has barely breached the 140-kph mark, and there hasn't been any bite to his bowling. If India persist with their four-spinner combination, there are serious questions over whether he can serve as the lone specialist seamer.

Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh are options, but India might not be trigger-happy ahead of a big game. Shami needs to be at his absolute best against the likes of Travis Head, and there isn't much evidence to suggest that he can be.

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#1 Kuldeep Yadav hasn't been his threatening self since returning from injury

New Zealand v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

That goes for not just Shami but Kuldeep Yadav as well. The left-arm wrist-spinner picked up three wickets against Pakistan and two against New Zealand, but he hasn't been as threatening as he'd have liked through the Champions Trophy.

Dropping Kuldeep for a fast bowler would give India more options in the overall bowling attack, but that would restrict their usage of the other spinners in the side. Moreover, Kuldeep has been one of the team's most consistent spinners and a key part of their ODI-winning template.

Australia have good players of spin in the middle order, and Kuldeep will need to revert to his pre-injury form if India are to trouble them from both ends.