NEW DELHI: As India prepare to face Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, former cricketer Aakash Chopra has stressed the importance of the toss, pointing out that India have won all three group-stage matches despite Rohit Sharma losing every toss. However, he believes that the toss could be a decisive factor against Australia.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra acknowledged India’s impressive run but warned of the potential impact of losing the toss in the knockout game. “We haven’t won a single toss thus far. Rohit has sworn that he won’t win the toss and won’t lose the match. It sounds alright, but the toss is a problem. Australia won the toss in Ahmedabad (2023 World Cup final) and, against popular belief, chose to bowl first. That decision played a critical part,” he said.
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India have played all their group matches at the Dubai venue, successfully chasing against Bangladesh and Pakistan before defending a target against New Zealand. Chopra pointed out how difficult it is to chase at this ground.
“When New Zealand bowled after winning the toss, I said they would die because they wouldn’t be able to chase if India scored 270. The truth is, even 250 wasn’t chased. So, this is the reality of this ground,” he observed.
While Australia do not possess a dominant spin attack, Chopra believes that setting a target of 270 would make India clear favourites. “If someone tells you that the toss isn’t important and you can restrict the opposition while chasing, I disagree. If Australia get 270, it won’t be chased easily,” he added.
Chopra concluded with a direct appeal to India’s captain: “So, in my opinion, the toss has incredible importance in this game. Rohit, please win one toss.”
