India skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday (March 4) said he had always wanted the availability of six bowling options without compromising the batting depth, as evidenced in the team's four-wicket win over Australia in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. (Highlights | Talking Points | Full Coverage)
Set a target of 265 runs, India relied on Virat Kohli's 84 and useful knocks from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul to secure a comfortable win with 11 balls to spare, after the bowlers limited the Aussies to what turned out to be a sub-par total in the first semi-final.
"That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well. This is something we discussed while making the squad. Credit goes to everyone who were involved in making the team," Rohit said at the presentation ceremony.
Mohammed Shami (3/38) grabbed three wickets while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets apiece.
"Halfway through the game, we felt it was a reasonable score, and we have to bat really really well. I thought we were very clinical with the bat. We were very calm and composed. The wicket looked better, and that has been the nature of the surfaces.
"The one which played today was slightly better. We just want to play good cricket and not read too much into what the pitch is doing."
Needless to say, Rohit lavished rich praise on his longtime teammate Kohli for anchoring yet another successful chase.
"He has done it for us for so many years. We were very calm. We wanted that big stand which Shreyas and Virat had. Then the shots by Hardik in the end were very important."
In the final, India will take on the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand.
The Indian triumph ensures that the final of the eight-team competition will now be held in Dubai instead of Lahore, the original host of the marquee clash.
Rohit said, "When you want to play the final, you want all your guys in form. That is something that gives us a lot of confidence. We will not think too much about it. When the time comes, we will think about it. I also want the guys to relax."
280-Plus Target 'Could Have Been Different' Story: Steve Smith
Meanwhile, Australia captain Steve Smith believed they fell short of what would have been a challenging total by a good 20 runs.
"The bowlers did a really good job. The spinners squeezed them and took the game deeper. It was a tricky wicket to start on and we did a good job.
"It wasn't the easiest batting condition. We could have put a few more runs on the board. If we had 280-plus, it could have been different. We were one wicket down too many at each stage of the game," Smith said.
(With PTI inputs)
