India captain Rohit Sharma said he has always focused on having six bowling options without weakening the batting lineup. This strategy was evident in the team’s convincing victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal. Chasing 265, India achieved a four-wicket win with 11 balls remaining, thanks to Virat Kohli’s 84 and valuable contributions from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, after the bowlers restricted Australia to a below-par score.
‘Having six bowling options and batting till No. 8 was a key focus when we selected the squad. Everyone involved in team selection deserves credit,’ Rohit stated at the presentation.
Mohammed Shami (3/38) took three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja each claimed two wickets.
Reflecting on the match, Rohit said, ‘At halftime, we thought the score was manageable if we batted well. We were very composed and effective with the bat. The pitch seemed better for batting, which has been typical of the surfaces here. Today’s wicket was slightly better. We aim to play good cricket and not overthink the pitch conditions.’
Rohit praised Kohli’s consistent performance in run chases, ‘He has been doing this for us for years. We remained calm and needed that strong partnership between Shreyas and Virat. Hardik’s late hitting was also crucial.’
In the final, India will face the winner of the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand.
India’s victory ensures the final will be held here instead of Lahore, the originally planned venue.
Rohit added, ‘Going into the final, we want everyone to be in good form, which boosts our confidence. We won’t overanalyze things right now. We’ll focus when the time comes. I want the team to relax.’
Australian captain Steve Smith felt they were about 20 runs short of a truly challenging total.
‘The bowlers performed well, and the spinners applied pressure and extended the game. It was a difficult pitch to start on, and we adapted well.
‘Batting conditions weren’t easy. We could have scored more runs. If we had reached 280-plus, it might have been a different game. Losing too many wickets at crucial stages hurt us,’ Smith concluded.
