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After a washout in the Australia vs Afghanistan match, the former qualified for the semifinals of the tournament, and South Africa have more or less sealed a spot.
Will India Want Australia Or South Africa In Semifinal? Robin Uthappa Opines (Picture credit: AP)
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has said that it wouldn’t matter to a team like India on who they face in the upcoming semifinals of the Champions Trophy, and the team will only focus on their form going into the big clash.
After a washout in the Australia vs Afghanistan match, the former qualified for the semifinals of the tournament, and South Africa have more or less sealed a spot, with only a defeat by 200+ runs against England being able to eliminate them now.
India and New Zealand were the first teams to qualify after registering wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stages.
“Genuinely as a cricketer, it does not matter to us as who is going to be our opponent. We as a team should focus on our form, strength and mood, which are more important than who we are going to face or the pitches we are going to play on,” Uthappa said while speaking at the launch of a book, Life Lessons from Cricket.
“It doesn’t matter much. Any team which is confident and in form would never think along those lines. They will concentrate on what we are going to do to win the game,” Uthappa added.
At the last ODI ICC tournament, i.e, the 2023 ODI World Cup, India beat Australia in the league stage only to lose to them in the final. They thrashed South Africa by 243 runs in the league stage.
India will play their last group stage game in the Champions Trophy on Sunday, March 2, against New Zealand in Dubai. India had beaten the Kiwis in the league stage as well as in the semifinals in the ODI World Cup.
Former India opener Lalchand Rajput, who has some coaching experience as well, was asked what a coach would feel before a dead rubber like the New Zealand match.
“See, for a coach, there is nothing called an inconsequential game, as you want your team to win every match and want to play your best players unless there is an injury or workload management,” Rajput said.
“When you are having a good run, it’s important to maintain the momentum. Sometimes, when you qualify and make changes and if we lose, then in the next game, there is the same kind of pattern (like lack of rhythm) and hence, when you are having a good time, we have to finish; we should always be on top,” Rajput added.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
