Image: Dinesh Karthik thinks Travis Head is the biggest difficulty for the Indian team / © Rediff
In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final, India faces not just Australia but a specific threat — Travis Head. Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik highlighted Head as India’s “mental block”, citing his match-winning performances in key games. Head’s crucial knocks denied India the 2023 World Test Championship and ODI World Cup titles, as well as the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Karthik, speaking on the Sky Sports Podcast alongside Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, emphasized that dismissing Head early would ease India’s path. Australia’s captain Steve Smith also inspected the Dubai pitch, prompting Atherton to humorously predict it would spin.
India and Australia will play on a fresh surface, different from India’s group-stage matches. With high stakes and past heartbreaks, India aims to overcome its struggles against Australia in ICC knockouts and secure a final spot.