India have a chance of notching up their second Champions Trophy title in a few days’ time.
Cricket News
India conquered Australia by four wickets with 11 deliveries to spare in a hard-fought battle in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. The Men in Blue will play either South Africa or New Zealand in the final of the ninth instalment of the marquee ODI tournament on Sunday, March 9.
Cooper Connolly and Travis Head departed within the powerplay. Skipper, Steven Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship through the middle phase until the latter departed by getting trapped in front by a Ravindra Jadeja delivery. Josh Inglis was Jadeja’s second victim. Alex Carey’s sensible 61-run knock led Australia to garner 264. Varun Chakravarthy returned as the most economical bowler with 2/49 to his name.
In response, India started off quite positively. However, the wickets of Shubman Gill Rohit Sharma levelled the playing field. Once again, Virat Kohli came clutch during the run-chase, registering his 74th ODI half-century in the format. Valuable contributions from Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel helped India’s cause. Although Hardik Pandya could not stay till the end, the partnership between him and KL Rahul was enough to guide India to their first victory against Australia in an ICC knockout game after 5,094 days.
Talking Points
1. Four-pronged spin attack works wonders for India
Ahead of the high-stakes clash, there were speculations on whether India would stick to their four-spinner approach after Chakravarthy’s heroic five-wicket haul against New Zealand. However, they stuck to their guns and fired all cylinders. All the spinners were quite economical, sharing five wickets between them.
2. Virat Kohli’s clutch gene kicks in against Australia, yet again!
On a tough Dubai deck that remained double-paced throughout the game, the manner in which Kohli paced his knock was just the need of the hour for the Indian unit. A lot of running was involved in Kohli’s 84-run knock which comprised a total of five boundaries. This knock further cemented the ace batter’s stronghold against familiar foes.
3. Rohit Sharma registers unique first as Indian captain
With India attaining their third Champions Trophy knockout win against Australia in the history of the tournament, Rohit became the first Indian skipper to reach the final of every ICC tournament – World Test Championship (2023), Cricket World Cup (2023), T20 World Cup (2024), and Champions Trophy (2025).
Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Semi-Final 2, NZ vs SA Match Prediction
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