Ashwin advises Rohit Sharma to hand new ball to Chakravarthy
What's the story
Ahead of India's crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia, former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has made a strategic suggestion.
He believes Rohit Sharma should entrust the new ball to Varun Chakravarthy.
This advice comes from Ashwin's familiarity with Chakravarthy's skills, as they both represent the same state in their cricket careers.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and promises an exciting showdown between two evenly matched teams.
Tactical advice
Ashwin's strategic insight for the match
Ashwin shared his tactical insight on his Hindi YouTube channel "Ash Ki Baat," where he said, "New ball and give it to Varun and ask him to bowl over the stumps to Travis Head."
He explained that this strategy could give India an edge in the game.
The former cricketer highlighted that Travis Head tends to clear his leg and hit over the field, making Chakravarthy's new ball skills potentially beneficial for India's strategy.
Player spotlight
Chakravarthy's recent performance and its significance
Chakravarthy's form has been phenomenal, having picked his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs in only his second match.
In his first game of CT 2025, he made a mark against New Zealand. Not only did he get the Player of the Match title, but he also raised hopes for his next match against Australia.
His recent success gives credence to Ashwin's suggestion for Sharma to give him the new ball.
Run
His sublime run in white-ball cricket
Chakravarthy is in the form of his life! He made a mark in the T20I series against England at home, finishing as the Player of the Series.
He claimed 14 wickets, the most for an Indian in a bilateral T20I series.
Due to this, Chakravarthy was a late entrant to India's squad for the England ODI series and Champions Trophy.