3 things India need to do right to beat Australia in Semifinal 1 of the 2025 Champions Trophy ft. countering Travis Head

India and Australia will meet in an ICC knockout clash once again, with the first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. The Men in Blue qualified at the top of their group, while the Aussies finished second in theirs behind South Africa.

India have been on a roll in the 50-over format in recent times, but beating Australia hasn't proven to be an easy task. Despite being the overwhelming favorites for the 2023 World Cup final, Rohit Sharma and Co. fell at the final hurdle, albeit to an Aussie side that wore a different look to the one that will suit up on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, India will need to be at the top of their game from a tactical perspective if they are to beat the credentialed trophy-winning machine that Australia are.

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 Chakravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.

On that note, here are three things India need to do right in the first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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#3 Rohit Sharma might need to turn to Varun Chakaravarthy in the powerplay

India Portraits - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Travis Head will once again be India's biggest concern in the Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia. The opening batter, who took the game away in the 2023 World Cup final, has gone from strength to strength across formats in recent times.

Two of Australia's matches have been washed out, but Head seems to be in good nick. He picked apart Afghanistan's bowling attack for a fair while, and India have concerns with their new-ball bowling in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and a fully firing Mohammed Shami.

Rohit Sharma might need to bring Varun Chakravarthy, India's X-factor, on early in the powerplay. Getting Head out will set the tone for the rest of the game, particularly with Australia already missing Matt Short due to injury.

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#2 India need to stick to their four-spinner combination

Bangladesh v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

The pitch to be used for the semifinal will be the same one that hosted the India-Pakistan group stage game. In that encounter, seven wickets fell to spin, and it wasn't necessarily a turner.

On Tuesday, India should stick to their four-spinner combination even if the pitch isn't overly conducive to the style of bowling at first glance. The curators have mentioned that the square maintains its properties across the set of wickets there, and with the venue drying up with use, turn seems inevitable.

Moreover, that's probably India's best bet at beating Australia - choking them with spin through the middle overs. Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami haven't set the Champions Trophy on fire, while Arshdeep Singh hasn't played a game yet. The spinners are clearly in a better rhythm right now.

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#1 India will get looseners from Australia's second-string pace attack, and they need to capitalize

Bangladesh v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

In the absence of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, Australia will have Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis and Ben Dwarshuis as their first-choice pace attack against India. While all three bowlers are capable of troubling the opposition batters, they are also prone to being attacked.

India's batters, particularly the openers, will need to be proactive against the trio and try to find regular boundaries. Ellis is largely a defensive option, and forcing him to resort to his cutters and slower deliveries early in the piece will help the Men in Blue steal a march over the Aussies. Johnson and Dwarshuis, meanwhile, aren't going to swing the new ball miles even if there's some help on offer.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are in excellent form, as are the other Indian batters. They need to capitalize on whatever the pacers have to offer and force Steve Smith to bowl overs of his part-time spinners.