“We don't want to play them in the final” - Kuldeep Yadav on facing Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025

Kuldeep Yadav, a spinner for Team India, acknowledged that given their history, the team preferred to play Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal rather than the summit match.

In the knockout match between the two titans of international cricket, the Men in Blue defeated Australia by four wickets, eliminating them from the competition.  

In their opening match of the 2023 World Cup, India had already defeated Australia in the league stage. India advanced to the final undefeated; however, they lost against Australia because they were unable to handle the pressure of playing them again in the summit clash.

Australia had to settle for second place in Group B after two of their matches were rained out, while India won three straight games to take the lead in Group A. Despite having a smaller squad, the Men in Yellow posed a serious threat to India. They scored 264 runs before their campaign was abruptly stopped by a masterclass from Virat Kohli.

We wanted to face Australia in the semi-final: Kuldeep Yadav

With the losses in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the 2023 ODI World Cup Final still fresh in their minds, Kuldeep Yadav recalled how India was relieved to play Australia in the semifinal rather than the final.

"I had hernia surgery in November, so it was difficult to come back and find the same rhythm. I personally believe that it was a good tournament for us. We wanted to face Australia in the semi-final; we didn't want to play them in the final. It's a totally different pressure. It's much better to play them in the semifinal rather than in the finals," Kuldeep Yadav said on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast.

India defeated Australia in the semis and went on to beat New Zealand in the final in Dubai to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title. This was their third ICC Champions Trophy win, including one shared victory in 2002 in Sri Lanka.

Kuldeep Yadav reveals how BCCI got strict after India lost the BGT 2024-25 badly

The Indian spinner emphasized how a single series loss wreaked havoc in Indian cricket while reflecting on the demands and pressures associated with the quota.

To keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and go to the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, Team India needed to put up a historic display in Australia. But the Men in Blue lost the five-match series 1-3, and the entire campaign was marred by a variety of issues.

"We lost the series against Australia, and there was a lot of media attention, and the BCCI got strict as well. You have to be on your toes every series, and that's how it works here in India. You can't take your place in the team for granted because there are so many players coming up," Kuldeep Yadav said.

The BCCI took several measures to ensure the India squad was on the same page. It banned the families on tour for the entire duration, banned players from traveling individually, allowed travel only on the team bus, and imposed various other restrictions.

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