Dubai, March 3: Ahead of meeting Australia in the first semi-final of 2025 Champions Trophy, India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that retaining their bowling combination of four spinners is a tempting option, but at the same time, he will give a thought over what the right bowling combination should be.

At the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, India fielded four spinners, who picked nine wickets collectively. Wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was the standout bowler with 5-42, the best bowling figures in the ongoing Champions Trophy, in just his second ODI game to bamboozle New Zealand and ensure India end as Group A toppers.

“We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze them. If we don’t, then we don’t. Whatever works for us in terms of the bowling options, we will try and do that.

“The reason I say that is because we are very much aware of the conditions, and know exactly what works and what doesn’t work. So, we’ll just give it a day. We’ll think about it, what is the right combination to go with. But it is tempting,” said Rohit in the pre semi-final press conference.

Asked if Chakaravarthy had made a case for his selection in the semi-final against Australia, which is a rematch of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Rohit remarked, “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. I said it at the post-match (presentation ceremony) as well that he’s got something different about him.

“When he gets it right, he knocks people over and takes 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.”

It was in 2021 in Dubai that Chakaravarthy had endured a horror time in the Men’s T20 World Cup by going wicketless in the matches he played. On Sunday, Chakaravarthy made a very successful return to the very same venue with an incredible five-wicket haul in just his second ODI.

Rohit believes that what Chakaravarthy has been doing differently in 2025 as compared to his 2021 stint with the Indian team is his accuracy in deliveries and getting more match-playing experiences across all formats.

“Look, speaking about Varun, I think he’s become more accurate now from the last time he played for India, which was way back in 2021. I mean, there was a little bit of inexperience in him as well, because he hadn’t played a lot of cricket. But right now, in the last two or three years, he’s played a lot of cricket, whether it’s domestic cricket, IPL, and for India in T20Is, and now the ODIs as well.

“He understands his bowling really well. There is definitely something about his bowling which he’s using to his advantage. Some of our batters also couldn’t figure that out, which is always nice. But to answer that question, I think he has become more and more accurate, and the pace variation is superb.

“Watching from behind when I was standing in the slips, his variations have developed a lot more. When you have a little bit of mystery, you don’t want to be one-dimensional bowler and bowl with the same speed. You need something different in the pace variation, and the accuracy as well. So, he’s worked on both of it, and now you see that he’s getting a lot of wickets and getting more often as well, which is a good sign for us as a team,” he said.

Rohit signed off by explaining of the time when the think-tank felt it would be better to draft Chakaravarthy in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the main Champions Trophy squad on February 12. “With Varun, especially, we felt we had to sacrifice a batsman, as we thought it’s only five games in this tournament. It’s very unlikely that that batter is going to play at any stage, unless there’s an injury. You don’t make team thinking the worst, which is someone getting injured.”

“If somebody is injured, you can always call them upon. But with Varun, we knew that there is a chance that he might play without any injury in the team. I know there are four spinners and all of that, but we played four spinners in this game. So, looking at the surfaces here, hearing about what has happened in Dubai in the past two months, there’s a lot of cricket that has been played.”

“So, we somehow kind of knew that the surfaces are going to be slow. We were watching ILT20, which was played here, and we thought the slower bowlers will be a lot more helpful. Then we’ve got a batter sitting in the dugout anyway. If we need a batter to come in, Rishabh (Pant) is there for us. So, we thought with an extra option of the spin, there’s always a chance that we can play those guys. So that was pretty much the thinking behind that.”

Dubai, March 3: Legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble has hailed an exceptional Varun Chakaravarthy for picking 5-42 in India’s 44-run win over New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy, saying the wrist-spinner has won matches for the teams he played for in last 1.5 years and that his recent performance is very encouraging for the Rohit Sharma led-side.

At the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, Chakaravarthy returned figures of 5-42, the combined best bowling figures in the ongoing tournament, in just his second ODI game to bamboozle New Zealand and ensure India end as Group A toppers.

Chakaravarthy had been a late addition to India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, as he came in for left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, leaving people wondering if the side was carrying too much spinners for Dubai’s slow pitches. But on Sunday, Chakaravarthy and India proved that late decision to be fruitful.

“I think Varun has been exceptional in the last 1-1.5 years, consistently winning matches for whichever team he has played for, whether it’s Tamil Nadu or KKR or for India in T20Is. Now, getting an opportunity (in ODIs), because obviously India had already qualified.”

“But going by the pitch and the conditions perhaps for the semi-final and hopefully for India, the final, this certainly augurs well,” said Kumble to ESPNcricinfo on Monday.

The Chennai-based Chakaravarthy first castled Will Young, and came back in the end of the middle overs to dismiss Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell in consecutive overs. He then removed Mitchell Santner, and dismissed Matt Henry on the very next ball to complete his incredible five-wicket haul.

Chakaravarthy may get a chance to shine again for India when they will face Australia in the first Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday. Kumble further believes Australia will find it difficult if India continue to play four spinners in the all-important semi-final clash

“If this is the kind of pitch India will continue to play on in Dubai, then this four-pronged spin attack would be really a challenge for any team. Australia would find it extremely difficult to maneuver these four spinners,” he concluded.

Dubai, March 3: India star Virat Kohli bagged the ‘Fielder of the Match’ medal for his contributions in the fielding in India’s Champions Trophy last group stage win against New Zealand on Sunday.

Varun Chakaravarthy’s five-wicket haul led India to 44-run win over New Zealand, finishing at the top of Group A in the tournament. They now face Australia in the first semi-final, in Dubai on Tuesday while New Zealand will face South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.

Following the win, India fielding coach T Dilip addressed the players in the dressing room and lauded their efforts in the field and revealed the contenders for the best fielding honours, before training assistant Udenaka Nuwan Seneviratane handed the medal to Kohli, who featured in his landamark 300th ODI.

“We always speak about being gun fiedding unit, for me the most important thing is how you are being proactive. I thought different faces of the game; the way we squeezed in when Mitchell came in and he couldn’t get to rotate the strike. The way bullet throws came from out field…” Dilip said in a video posted by BCCI on its website.

“Coming to the contenders, the one looking like a superman and took that catch… Axar Patel. Game after game, he showed it again and the way he stamped his authority on the field, the way he mostly to the prime position and taking those catches, Virat Kohli. The way he squeezed in, putting those dives… Shreyas Iyer,” he added.

Kohli became the seventh player from India to achieve the 300-ODI landmark after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.

However, the star batter couldn’t manage to put much impact in his milestone match as he was dismissed by Matt Henry for 11. Kohli nailed a full-blooded cut but Glenn Phillips flew to his right at backward point to pouch a one-handed stunner, leaving Kohli and fans stunned.

Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with a knock of 79 while Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya contributed 42 and 45 respectively to take the side to 249/9 in 50 overs.