The Champions Trophy match between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday is effectively a dead rubber. Both teams have qualified for the semi-finals and the outcome of the game will only determine the group champions and runner-up. Last time when India played a global event in this part of the world—the 2021 T20 World Cup—they were all but out of the tournament after losing their first two games. Now, they have a happy problem to live with.
Usually, teams don’t skip training on match eve. But the first semi-final, on February 4, comes on the heels of Sunday’s fixture, and after two hard training sessions, India have opted to cool their heels on Saturday. Accordingly, KL Rahul did the pre-match presser two days before the game, and the rotation question was asked. The wicketkeeper-batsman chose to be non-committal.
“Luckily, I’m not in the leadership group to have to make that decision,” he told reporters. “But I’m sure there will be some temptation. I have been in these positions before where there’s an opportunity where you can try out the players. But I don’t know if that will happen in the Champions Trophy.”
There’s virtually no turnaround time between India’s final group league game and the semi-final. However, after the Pakistan match, India got a longish break and that might influence the team management’s decision.
“Like you said, we only have one day’s break before the semi-finals,” said Rahul. “And we have got a six-day break now. So we probably want all of the players to play the game and get a little bit of time in the middle. And this is my version. I don’t know. It might be very different tomorrow.”
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, has a mind of his own and so far, under him, team selections have hardly followed a pattern. This takes us to a few questions…
Will Rohit play?
It’s very unlikely that Rohit Sharma will sit out. The skipper felt his hamstring during the match against Pakistan and didn’t take part in any strenuous activities in India’s nets session on Wednesday. On Friday, though, he batted for over an hour at the nets, timing the ball nicely. A big hit stood out, the way he just stood and walloped the ball. India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was asked about Rohit’s fitness, as he spoke to the media on the sidelines of India’s practice session. “He is all right,” said ten Doeschate. “It’s an injury he has had before, so he knows how to manage it.”
Rishabh Pant looked to be in excellent touch at the nets, but the captain doesn’t look keen to skip the game.
The Shami question
Rahul spoke about how Mohammed Shami tests his diving skills every game, but that was tongue firmly in cheek. On a serious note, Rahul gave the lowdown on the challenges he faces while ‘keeping a bowler of Shami’s quality.
The bigger question is whether the veteran fast bowler would be rested on Sunday. The team management had chosen to manage Shami’s workload during the home white-ball series against England that preceded the Champions Trophy. They would be tempted to do that here also, given the quick’s fitness record and that he has returned to the fold after an elongated injury lay-off. Then again, there’s a school of thought in the team that all the players now have enough rest and playing back-to-back matches shouldn’t be a problem. Changes might upset the rhythm.
Jadeja or Varun?
Gambhir had called Varun Chakravarthy his team’s potential “X-factor” in the Champions Trophy. The spinner, however, wasn’t included in the playing XI for the first two games. Varun made his ODI debut against England in Cuttack and played alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. In the final game in Ahmedabad, India’s spin-pack comprised Axar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. The latter has found his rhythm and it’s unlikely that he would be left out against the Kiwis. But an overload of left-handers – four of them – in New Zealand’s batting line-up might prompt the Indian team management to try something different.
Also Read: Rahul admits pressure, says he doesn’t try to emulate Pant
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