New Delhi, March 4: As India and Australia prepare for yet another high-stakes ICC knockout clash, former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes Men in Blue have been the standout team of the Champions Trophy 2025 so far.

Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated semi-final on Tuesday, Karthik stated that India has played solid cricket throughout the tournament and should have no trouble advancing—provided they maintain their current form.

“The quality of India’s cricket has probably been the best of the tournament. They have played solid cricket and if they can keep that going, I don’t see any reason they can’t win,” Karthik told Sky Sports.

However, despite India’s dominance, Karthik acknowledged a key factor that could disrupt their plans—Travis Head. The Australian left-hander has been a thorn in India’s side in major finals, earning the nickname “Travis Headache” from former India coach Ravi Shastri.

Adding to the challenge for India, Head was also instrumental in Australia’s World Test Championship final victory over them last year, scoring a brilliant 163 at The Oval.

“Ravi Shastri has nicknamed him Travis ‘Headache’ as that’s what he has been for India in almost every big game. The tempo he has played at, the speed at which he has scored, has been disruptive for India and eased the pressure on the other Australia batters,” Karthik added.

Australia, the reigning ODI World Cup champions, head into the semi-final missing several key players, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis.

Despite their depleted squad, former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes that the Australians are wired differently when it comes to big-stage cricket.

“Australia won’t be bottling it. They are missing players, but their record in ICC events is fabulous. Everyone in that dressing room will have grown up watching a Steve Waugh side, a Ricky Ponting side, a Cummins side—and realized they are born to win these things. They are not here to make up the numbers, and they will believe they can overcome a very strong India side,” said Hussain.

Dubai, March 4: Former skipper Ricky Ponting backed youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk to replace injured Matt Short at the top of Australia’s batting order for their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final clash against India on Tuesday.

Short was ruled out due to an injury to his left quadriceps which he sustained during Australia’s washed out Group B game against Afghanistan. His absence promotes travelling reserve Cooper Connolly into the squad.

Connolly is a powerful hitter and also a capable off-spin bowler, proving to be a like-for-like replacement but Ponting is putting his faith in Fraser-McGurk, who has so far made seven appearances for Australia in ODIs, hitting at a strike-rate of 132l, averaging just 14 runs with a top score of 41.

“He can slot straight into that position. To be honest, that’s the way I would probably go and just hope that he has one of his days because in games like these, the semi-finals, must-win, big games, you need to throw caution to the wind,” Ponting said in the latest edition of The ICC Review.

“I think he’s the sort of player that if you back him, and give him an opportunity, he might just be good enough to win a big game for you like that,” he said.

Ponting give Fraser-McGurk the nod partially due to his excellent performance in the IPL in 2024, where he finished with a strike-rate of 234 from nine innings.

“He probably has been a little bit disappointed with his output in the opportunities that he’s had in the last six months. So this might just be the game where he can do something…like he did in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals last season,” Ponting added.

Ponting also suggested some potential alternatives, including the batters that already feature in Australia’s playing XI at the Champions Trophy.

“They could even move Steve Smith up there and open the batting. He’s done a terrific job when he’s opened in T20 cricket the last couple of years. He’s a good player of fast bowling, which was one of the points I made before trying to negate that new ball and get through to those middle-overs.

“They could put Josh Inglis up there if they wanted to, and then leave someone like Cooper Connolly as another left-hander in the middle order that could give them some spin options,” he concluded.

New Delhi, March 3: Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, a two-time Champions Trophy winner, believes the tournament continues to create unforgettable moments, with the semifinals and final of the 2025 edition set to deliver even more special memories. Watson, who lifted the trophy with Australia in 2006 and 2009, recalls the first title win as the defining moment of his career.

“I was always a confident person, all athletes are, but it was in 2006 that I really knew I had the skill to perform for my country and help them win – and that is a different confidence, it’s a different feeling,” Watson said ahead of the upcoming knockout matches to ICC.

Being part of an all-time great Australian team featuring legends like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, and Brett Lee, Watson initially played a supporting role. But his defining performance came in the 2006 final, where he opened the batting alongside Adam Gilchrist and scored an unbeaten 57, proving to himself that he belonged at the highest level.

His love affair with the Champions Trophy continued in 2009 when he played what he considers his finest innings – a match-winning 136 not out in the semifinal against England. He carried that form into the final against New Zealand, where he sealed both his century and Australia’s triumph with a six. “It was a magical moment,” Watson reminisced. “They are the moments you dream of. I have a couple of really nice trophies from those days, but my personal favourite is the watch I got for being man-of-the-match in the final. It’s one of the most special things I have in my house.”

As the 2025 edition nears its climax, Watson believes the current generation of players will carry similar memories with them for years to come. “The last two weeks have reminded us how special this tournament is. I hope that, in the years to come, those who have featured in it look back on it as fondly as I do now,” he said.