India outclass Australia to secure a spot in the Champions Trophy 2025 final
DUBAI: A collective bowling effort, followed by a composed half-century from Virat Kohli, guided India to a commanding five-wicket win over Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
With this victory, India secured their third consecutive Champions Trophy final appearance. They now await the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Lahore on Wednesday.
Chasing 265, India had a shaky start as top-ranked ODI batter Shubman Gill (8) was bowled by Ben Dwarshuis in the fifth over with 30 runs on the board. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who provided an aggressive start, was trapped lbw by young spinner Cooper Connolly just 16 balls later. Rohit scored 28 off 29 balls, hitting three fours and a six.
After the quick setbacks, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer stitched together a vital 91-run stand for the third wicket before Iyer was dismissed by Adam Zampa for 45 off 62 balls. Kohli continued to anchor the innings, forming crucial partnerships with Axar Patel (27) and KL Rahul before falling in the 43rd over. He top-scored with 84 off 98 deliveries, striking five boundaries.
Hardik Pandya and Rahul then took India closer to victory with a swift 34-run stand. Pandya contributed 28 off 24 balls, while Rahul remained unbeaten on 42 off 34, hitting two fours and two sixes.
For Australia, Nathan Ellis and Zampa took two wickets each, while Dwarshuis and Connolly picked up one apiece.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Australia managed 264 before being bowled out in 49.3 overs, with Steve Smith and Alex Carey leading their batting effort.
Australia had a shaky start as Cooper Connolly fell to Mohammed Shami in the third over with just four runs on the board. Travis Head then added 50 runs for the second wicket with Smith before departing for 39 off 33 balls, which included five fours and two sixes.
Smith anchored the innings, forming valuable partnerships with Marnus Labuschagne (29) and Josh Inglis (11) before being dismissed in the 37th over. He was the top scorer for Australia, making 73 off 96 balls, including four fours and a six.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Carey provided resistance, scoring a fighting 61 off 57 balls with eight fours and a six.
For India, Shami starred with three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja took two each. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipped in with one wicket apiece.
