New Delhi: As the cricket world converges on Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has issued a stark warning to India: do not underestimate Australia, even in their depleted state. The stage is set for a thrilling encounter on Tuesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where India, having dominated their group stage, will face an Australian side that excels in high-pressure matches.
Ponting believes India’s familiarity with the conditions gives them an edge, having trained extensively on the same wickets. “I think India are going to start favourites in this game,” he noted. “They haven’t had to move and travel. They’ve been training on those wickets all the time. Australia have rushed in to Dubai to get ready.” However, he cautioned against underestimating Australia, saying, “These are the moments where they play their best cricket.”
The last meeting between these two cricket giants was in the 2023 World Cup final, where Australia secured a convincing six-wicket victory. Ponting suggests that India might use this past defeat as motivation rather than letting it haunt them. “You would hope that would be left behind in the dressing room that night. They’ve got a lot of experience, a different coach. Maybe they haven’t even talked about it. Or maybe they use it as motivation,” he explained.
Australia faces a selection dilemma with the injury of opener Matt Short. Ponting recommends Jake Fraser-McGurk as a potential replacement, citing his explosive batting style. “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. Other options include moving Steve Smith up the order or using Josh Inglis.
Sorry, there was a YouTube error.
