India reach Champions Trophy final after thumping Australia

Virat Kohli shines again as India have reached the Champions Trophy final after defeating Australia by 4 wickets (with 11 balls remaining) in the first semi-final of Champion Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in UEA on Tuesday.

With this triumph, India secured a spot in their third consecutive Champions Trophy final. Now the final will be played in Dubai between India and the winner of the second semi-final being played tomorrow at Lahore. 

Chasing a target of 265 runs, the Men in Blue faced early setbacks as top-ranked ODI batter Shubman Gill (8) was bowled by Ben Dwarshuis in the fifth over, leaving the scoreboard at 30-1. Just a few deliveries later, skipper Rohit Sharma (28 off 29) also departed, trapped lbw by Cooper Connolly.

Despite these early blows, the experienced Kohli joined with Shreyas Iyer to stabilize the innings. The duo stitched together a crucial 91-run stand before Iyer (45 off 62) was cleaned up by Adam Zampa.

Kohli was then involved in crucial partnerships with Axar Patel (27) and KL Rahul before finally perishing in the 43rd over.

He remained the top scorer for India with 84 off 98 deliveries, studded with five boundaries.

Following his departure, Hardik Pandya and Rahul put India within touching distance with a brisk 34-run stand.

Pandya scored 28 off 24 deliveries, while Rahul made an unbeaten 42 from 34 balls with the help of two fours and as many sixes.

For Australia, Nathan Ellis and Zampa bagged two wickets each, while Dwarshuis and Connolly made one scalp apiece.

India run machine Virat Kohli was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding batting performance in the all-important Champions Trophy semi final against Australia.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Australia’s batting unit yielded 264 runs before getting bowled out in 49.3 overs, with Smith and Carey leading the charge with anchoring knocks.

The two-time champions had a contrasting start to their innings as Cooper Connolly fell victim to Mohammed Shami in the third over with just four runs on the board.

Following the early hiccup, skipper Smith joined Head in the middle and together they raised 50 runs for the second wicket until the opener perished in the ninth over.

Head smashed five fours and two sixes on his way to a 33-ball 39.

Smith was then involved in crucial partnerships with Marnus Labuschagne (29) and Josh Inglis (11) as he oversaw Australia’s batting expedition until the 37th over.

He remained the top-scorer for Australia with 73 off 96 deliveries, laced with four fours and a six.

Following his dismissal, Australia began to lose wickets at regular intervals but Carey stood his ground firm and added valuable runs to their total with a gutsy half-century.

The left-handed batter smashed eight fours and a six on his way to a 57-ball 61.

Shami was the standout bowler for India, taking three wickets, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja bagged two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel made one scalp apiece.

 Steve Smith and Alex Carey’s half-centuries power Australia to post a competitive 264 runs target for India  

Batting first in this high-stakes knockout clash, the Australian team scored 264 runs before being bowled out in 49.3 overs.

Skipper Steven Smith led from the front with a composed 73-run knock, anchoring the innings and ensuring his team reached a respectable total. He found support from wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, who contributed 61 runs, while Travis Head chipped in with a steady 39.

Other contributions came from Marnus Labuschagne (29), Ben Dwarshuis (19), and Josh Inglis (11). Lower down the order, Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell could only manage 10 and 7 runs, respectively, while Adam Zampa (7) and Cooper Connolly (0) fell cheaply.

India’s bowling attack kept the pressure on throughout the innings. Experienced pacer Mohammed Shami emerged as the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets.

Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja bagged two wickets each, while Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya also chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Teams

Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Richard Illingworth (ENG)

TV Umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft (RSA)

Rohit Sharma’s thoughts at the toss
Speaking after the toss, the Indian captain, when asked whether he would have batted or bowled if he had won the toss, said, “I was prepared to do both,”

“The wickets here have played very differently and when you are in two minds it is better to lose the toss.

“We played three games here and each time it was different. The pitch keeps changing its nature and at the end of the day you have to play good cricket.

“There are four or five surfaces here and each one has it’s own way. Every time you come here you know it will be challenging and the slower bowlers have come into play a lot that is why.

“You need to have that sort of momentum with you and we want to play a good game of cricket and we have to come out and bowl well and restrict them.”

Steve Smith’s thoughts at the toss
“It looks like a dry pitch – it’s a dry square – we’d like to get some runs on the board,” the Australian captain said when asked about what he had to say about the pitch.

“The guys had a couple of sessions at the academy in Dubai. 

“The pitch should take a lot more turn so we want runs on the board and put pressure later on.

“India are a very good side – we like coming up against them – and should be a good contest.”

Australia XI: Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa.

India XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.