India clinched a dominant five-wicket win over Australia in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final, thanks to a collective bowling performance and a steady half-century from Virat Kohli at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The victory earned India a place in their third consecutive Champions Trophy final and fifth in seven 50-over tournaments, where they will meet either South Africa or New Zealand, who will face off in the second semi-final in Lahore on Wednesday.
India set off on their chase of a 265-run target with a mix of caution and intent, as the early stages of the match saw Shubman Gill looking unsettled, while captain Rohit Sharma remained unfazed, continuing his aggressive approach.
Rohit, playing his fearless brand of cricket, got a reprieve after Cooper Connolly dropped an easy catch, and again when Marnus Labuschagne misjudged a catch in the outfield.
With India under pressure, Australia capitalized, and Ben Dwarshuis made the breakthrough, removing Gill for 10, who edged a delivery into the stumps while attempting to steer it down to third man. Rohit followed soon after, trapped in front by Connolly for 28, leaving India at 38-2.
Virat Kohli, however, steadied the ship alongside Shreyas Iyer, as the pair formed a vital 91-run partnership. Kohli played his trademark composed innings, while Iyer contributed with a mix of stylish and unconventional strokes.
The partnership came to an end when Iyer was dismissed by Adam Zampa for 45 off 62 balls.
Axar Patel briefly threatened to accelerate but fell for 27 off 30, bringing India's chase to a tense stage. Kohli, now in the 80s, closed in on his 52nd ODI century but was dismissed by Zampa for 84 off 98 balls, caught by Dwarshuis.
With the target in sight, Hardik Pandya provided the momentum with back-to-back sixes off Zampa, swinging the game in India's favor. However, Pandya (28) soon fell to Glenn Maxwell’s catch as he sought a big hit.
KL Rahul, however, finished the chase in style, launching the ball over the long-on boundary to seal a thrilling five-wicket win for India, sending them to their third consecutive Champions Trophy final.
Earlier, Steve Smith and Alex Carey led Australia’s charge with half-centuries as the team posted 264 all out.
Opting to bat first, Smith scored 73, while Carey contributed 61, setting the highest total at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the ongoing 50-over tournament.
Mohammed Shami was the standout bowler for India, claiming 3-48 as Australia’s innings lasted 49.3 overs. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets each.
Australia's openers struggled early under pressure from India’s disciplined new-ball attack. Cooper Connolly, replacing the injured Matthew Short, was dismissed for a duck after an edge to wicketkeeper KL Rahul off Shami was confirmed by a successful review.
Travis Head responded with an aggressive knock of 39, hitting a series of boundaries, but was dismissed by Chakravarthy in the spinner's second over. This left Australia at 54-2.
Smith and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship, with Labuschagne breaking his 50-ball boundary drought to help Australia reach 100 with a six off Axar Patel.
However, Jadeja dismissed Labuschagne for 29, and Smith reached his 35th ODI half-century before falling to Shami’s full toss.
Carey, who reached his fifty, and Ben Dwarshuis (19) continued to push the total, but Chakravarthy’s dismissal of Dwarshuis and Carey’s run-out by Shreyas Iyer left Australia all out.
Despite losing wickets, Australia surpassed the previous highest total at the venue in this tournament, when India made 249 in a victory over New Zealand.
India, having won all three of their group matches, are now poised for the final, where they will face either South Africa or New Zealand. This is the first ODI between India and Australia since the World Cup final.
Playing XI:
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ