Rohit Sharma and his team have displayed remarkable performance in the ongoing Champions Trophy, maintaining an unbeaten streak throughout the group stage. Nevertheless, one aspect remains troubling for them—the toss. In the upcoming group stage match against New Zealand, Rohit has faced a streak of 13 consecutive toss losses in One Day Internationals. Despite this, the outcomes of the matches in the Champions Trophy 2025 have favoured India thus far. However, Aakash Chopra has issued a cautionary note ahead of the significant semi-final against Australia.

Historically, Australia has posed a formidable challenge for India in ICC tournaments, having defeated them in both the 2023 ODI World Cup final and the World Test Championship final within the same year. Since their victory in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal, India has not triumphed over Australia in ICC knockout matches.

Nonetheless, Rohit and his team managed to eliminate Australia from the 2024 T20 World Cup during the Super 8 stage.

Chopra revisited India's past disappointments, recalling the 2023 ODI World Cup final where India lost the toss, allowing Pat Cummins to choose to bowl first, which significantly altered the match's dynamics.

"I believe the toss provides a distinct advantage. We have yet to win a single toss so far. Rohit has humorously claimed that he will neither win the toss nor lose the match. While it may sound reasonable, the toss remains a concern. Australia won the toss in Ahmedabad and, contrary to popular belief, opted to bowl first. That was their strategy, but the toss played a crucial role," Chopra remarked on his YouTube channel.

‘When New Zealand bowled after winning the toss…’

The former cricketer, now a commentator, elaborated on the match involving New Zealand, asserting that the team made an erroneous decision by opting to field first after winning the toss. India introduced a fourth spinner against New Zealand, resulting in the spinners collectively taking nine wickets as they successfully defended a total of 249 runs.

"In this instance, when New Zealand chose to bowl after winning the toss, I remarked that they would struggle, as chasing down 270 would be difficult. In reality, they could not even chase 250. This reflects the reality of this ground," he noted.

Read Also: India on Familiar Turf but Cautious of the Aussie Challenge

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