Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has confidently predicted that India will be the clear favourites to win the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia, to be held on Tuesday in Dubai. Gavaskar, a veteran of Indian cricket, highlighted the strength of India’s squad, especially their well-rounded bowling attack, which he believes is superior to Australia’s, particularly in the spin department.
"On this surface, yes, because Australia don't seem to have the kind of spinning attack, apart from the fact that they are missing out on key players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc," Gavaskar told India Today.
"Their batting is good. The batting is very aggressive. The ideal thing would be for India maybe to chase, rather than having Australia chase," he added.
India’s spin artillery gives them an upper hand as their spinners have exploited the conditions in Dubai very well. With the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, India’s spin attack has been very effective. Meanwhile, The winner of semi-final will progress to the final of the blockbuster tournament.