India shouldn't wear the blue jersey for CT25 semi, jokes Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has humorously warned India ahead of their Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia, asking them to avoid wearing their traditional blue jersey.

Speaking on an ARY News programme, Kamran Akmal jokingly advised India to wear orange instead of blue.

He seemed to be referencing Australian opener Travis Head’s impressive record against India, particularly in high-stakes matches, and his ability to thrive in the rivalry.

Basit Ali, also on the programme, suggested that India will learn from their previous match against New Zealand and aim to post a big total against Australia.

He believes India will strategize to have Rohit Sharma play a full 10 overs, potentially leading to a score of over 300 runs. He emphasized that Indian players might have planned carefully.  “If Rohit plays the first ten overs, then India could potentially score over 300 runs,” Basit said.

Kamran Akmal added that conditions would play a significant role in performance. He expects India to start cautiously, preserving wickets, and then accelerate their scoring in the later overs to reach a total of  300 plus.

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“You can’t always play the same kind of cricket,” he explained. “In Pakistan, India could easily score 350-375 runs, but in Dubai, they will need to work harder. They will need to start with wickets in hand during the first ten overs and then change gears in the latter part of the innings, aiming for a total around 300.”

He also noted that India had learned valuable lessons from their match against New Zealand, where the pitch wasn’t conducive to scoring 300 runs.

Regarding India’s squad for the semi-final, Kamran predicted they would retain the same team.

“I think they might leave out Shami and bring in Washington Sundar,” he said. “On one side, Hardik Pandya could bowl with the new ball, while on the other side, Varun Chakravarthy could play a key role.”

Basit agreed with Kamran’s suggestion, advocating for the inclusion of five spinners in India’s line-up for the match.