Ricky Ponting said India under Rohit Sharma must not take a depleted Australia lightly in Tuesday’s Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. His belief is that the Australians invariably save their ‘best cricket’ for big matches and cannot be dismissed.
Both India and Australia progressed unbeaten from the group stage, with Australia having two of their matches washed out due to rain. Australia is also missing its regular captain, Pat Cummins, and two of the fastest bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, for this match.
“I think India will start favorites in this game,” Ponting told The ICC Review. “They didn’t have to travel. They’ve been training on those wickets all the time. Australia rushed to Dubai to get ready… India will start favorites, but I will never tip against any Australian team. These are the moments when they play their best cricket.”
The last occasion these two giants played against each other in an ICC knockout match was the World Cup final in Ahmedabad in 2023, where Australia stepped in to create one of the immense distresses to Indian cricket by winning it by six wickets.
Ponting said the Indians would not be wayward and that they should use the nights’ memories to spur matters along.
“You would hope that would be left behind in the dressing room that night,” he said. “There is plenty of experience, a different coach. They may not have even talked about it. Or maybe they give them something they could give motivation with,” the former captain said.
Light on any selection option, Australia will need to brush up some of their selection possibilities ahead of the match. Opener Matt Short has been ruled out. The team has various options to replace him, including his replacement in the squad, latest youth Cooper Connolly and the hard-hitting Delhi Capitals recruit Jake Fraser-McGurk.
With Fraser-McGurk being under Ponting’s stewardship, he felt the young cricketer would be the right selection.
“He can slot straight into that position. That’d probably be the way I’d go. And you stand and hope that he has one of those days, because in games like that-the semi-finals, must-win, big games-you just have to throw caution to the wind,” Ponting said.
Ponting even felt that Josh Inglis and even stand-in captain Steve Smith could have a temporary stint in his position-though, if need be.
