ICC Champions Trophy 2025: "Tempting.." Rohit Sharma hints at India's playing XI for semi-final clash against Australia

Rohit Sharma has scored 76 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 so far.

India defeated New Zealand in the final group stage match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to enter the semi-finals unbeaten with three wins in three matches.

Having played three frontline spinners in the first two games – Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav – India made a bold move by fielding a fourth spinner, Varun Chakravarthy, in place of fast bowler Harshit Rana against New Zealand.

The decision paid off as the mystery spinner registered his career-best figures of 5/42 to help India secure a 44-run victory. The Indian captain has now shared his insights about the team combination for their semi-final clash against Australia, which will be played on Tuesday, March 4.

Rohit Sharma hints at India’s playing XI for semi-final clash against Australia

Speaking to the media after India’s win against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma was asked if he would continue with four spinners for the rest of the tournament.

The Indian captain responded that the team would need to consider how to fit all four spinners and noted that they are well aware of the conditions in Dubai.

Rohit said, “We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze four spinners. The reason I say it is because we are very much aware of the conditions here and we know exactly what works and what doesn’t work,“

While the 37-year-old remained tight-lipped about his playing XI for the semi-final, he hinted at playing four spinners by calling the combination tempting.

He added, “So, we will think about it, what is the right combination to go with, but it is tempting.“

Rohit also stated that Varun did whatever was asked of him, and while his inclusion remains a lucrative option, the management will assess the situation before making a selection call for the semi-final.

He explained, “He just showed what he’s capable of. Now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. Obviously, look, he got a game. He did everything that was asked for. And I said it at the post-match as well that he’s got something different about him.“

“And when he gets it right, he knocks people over and he takes five-five wickets. It is very tempting to think about what to do, which is a good headache to have. We’ll just try and assess.“

“We just want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like and how we can try and see what kind of bowling options will work against them.“

India’s last victory against Australia in a knockout match at ICC events came 14 years ago in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 quarter-final in Ahmedabad.

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