Varun Chakaravarthy fulfilled the expectations of the entire nation by securing a pivotal wicket during the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. The mystery spinner dismissed Travis Head, who was in remarkable form and posed a significant threat to India's chances of victory.

Head had been aggressively attacking the Indian pace bowlers, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya, and appeared particularly formidable against Kuldeep Yadav. Nevertheless, he opted to take on Varun Chakaravarthy right from the first delivery he faced.

Unfortunately for Head, he failed to make solid contact, resulting in a straightforward catch for Shubman Gill, which delighted the spectators in Dubai. Varun delivered a well-placed ball on the second delivery of the ninth over. Head attempted to loft it but ended up miscuing the shot.

Gill, stationed at long-on, sprinted forward to secure an easy catch, leading to Head's dismissal after he had scored 39 runs off 33 balls, including five fours and two sixes.

Travis Head has been a persistent challenge for India in numerous ICC tournaments, including the 2023 ODI World Cup final, the 2023 World Test Championship final, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he showcased his skills against Rohit Sharma and his team. Thus, it was no surprise that he was regarded as a key threat upon his arrival at the crease.

India had an opportunity to dismiss the left-hander on the very first ball of the match, but Mohammed Shami was unable to capitalize on a catch off his own bowling.

Ashwin predicted Chakaravarthy-Head match-up

On the eve of the inaugural semi-final between India and Australia, Ravichandran Ashwin urged Rohit Sharma to assign the new ball to Varun Chakaravarthy in order to effectively challenge Travis Head.

In a twist of fate, Ashwin's request has materialized. Although Chakaravarthy was introduced during the latter stages of the powerplay, he successfully fulfilled his role.

On his YouTube channel, Ashwin remarked, "Hand the new ball to Varun and instruct him to bowl over the stumps to Travis Head. Head exposes all three stumps and then shifts his leg to strike the ball over the field. With a new ball, Varun Chakravarthy could provide India with a significant advantage. It promises to be an exciting contest."

"I would be quite surprised if Travis Head opts for a conservative approach against Varun. He is likely to adopt an aggressive stance, which is a high-risk strategy. This could either lead to a strong start for Australia or result in his early dismissal. If Travis Head refrains from attacking, then it would be prudent to keep Varun bowling for five overs," he added.

Earlier, Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first. India retained their playing XI from the previous match against New Zealand, while Australia made two adjustments.

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