In the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Team India defeated Australia by 4 wickets and made a bang entry into the final!
In this exciting match, the heroes of the Indian team’s victory were Virat Kohli (84 runs), KL Rahul (42) and Mohammed Shami (3 wickets). India’s bowlers stopped Australia at 264 runs, after which Virat and Rahul’s brilliant batting led the team to victory.
Hardik Pandya’s (28) stormy innings also played an important role in the last overs. With this win, India has made it to the finals of an ICC tournament for the third time in a row!
Australia’s batting – Steve Smith and Carey shone, but the bowlers turned the match around!
Batting first, Australia were all out for 264 in 49.3 overs.
The start was good, but the Indian bowlers made a strong comeback and did not let the Australian batsmen stay.
Australia’s top scorers:
- Steve Smith – 73 (96 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)
- Alex Carey – 61 (57 balls, 8 fours, 1 six)
- Travis Head – 39 (33 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes)
Indian bowlers’ blast:
- Mohammed Shami – 10 overs, 48 runs, 3 wickets
- Varun Chakravarthy – 10 overs, 49 runs, 2 wickets
- Ravindra Jadeja – 8 overs, 40 runs, 2 wickets
- Hardik Pandya – 5.3 overs, 40 runs, 1 wicket
Virat’s strength, Rahul’s finish – India’s strong win!
265 runs Chasing the target of 267, Team India scored 267/6 in 48.1 overs and registered a spectacular victory.
However, India did not have a good start when Shubhman Gill (8) and Rohit Sharma (28) were out early. But after this, the excellent partnership of Virat Kohli (84) and Shreyas Iyer (45) brought the team to a strong position. When Kohli and Iyer were out, the match became exciting again for some time, but KL Rahul (42 *) and Hardik Pandya (28) played excellent shots and gave India victory.
India’s top scorers:
- Virat Kohli – 84 (98 balls, 5 fours)
- Rohit Sharma – 28 (29 balls, 3 fours, 1 Six)
- Shreyas Iyer – 45 (62 balls, 3 fours)
- KL Rahul – 42* (34 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes)
- Hardik Pandya – 28 (24 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes)
Australia’s best bowlers:
- Adam Zampa – 10 overs, 60 runs, 2 wickets
- Nathan Ellis – 10 overs, 49 runs, 2 wickets
- Cooper Connolly – 8 overs, 37 runs, 1 wicket
India now in the final of Champions Trophy 2025!
With this thumping win, Team India has made it to the final of the ICC tournament for the third time in a row.
Now the Indian team has a golden opportunity to win the Champions Trophy. It will be interesting to see who India will face in the final.
ICC CT 2025 IND vs AUS, After Match Statement
Rohit Sharma (captain, India):
Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. I felt that it was a decent total at the halfway mark and I thought we were clinical with the bat in hand. (On the surface) It looked better, but that has been the nature of the surfaces. We played better today and the batters we had, it was about playing good cricket and understanding the situation rather than reading too much into the wicket.
Leave it up to them to make their own decisions. (On batting depth)That’s something that I wanted to have and at the same time, get batting till number 8. This is something we discussed at length and credit goes to everyone who was involved in making the team. With six bowling options, you can choose whatever you want for the batters and their match-ups. (On Virat Kohli’s contributions) He has done it for us for so many years, we wanted the big partnership and the small partnerships.
The shots in the end by Hardik were really good. When you play in the finals, you want everyone to be in form and make an impact in the games they did before. That gives us confidence heading into the finals, we will put on our thinking caps when we play. (On finalists) Both are good teams but we will keep an eye on it. I want the guys to have some rest and try to relax tomorrow
Steve Smith (captain, Australia): I thought the bowlers did a fine job, they worked hard and the spinners also squeezed. It was a tough wicket to pick up runs as well. Credit to India. There was two pace-ness in the wicket and the ball stuck a bit. Having said that, I felt we were a few runs short and lost one too many wickets.
The bowling attack did a fine job throughout, the batters also did well and also played well against England. They will get better as things go on
Virat Kohli is the Player Of The Match! Here’s what he has to say:
Pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan. Just about understanding the conditions, rotating strike, because partnerships are the most important thing. My effort on both days was to do so, when I got out the plan was to get 20 more and try to finish it off in a couple overs. Usually I follow the template but sometimes you can’t execute it how you want to. The pitch tells me how to play out the innings. The composure at the crease, I was happy knocking ones around. As a batsman, when you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you are batting well and settle the nerves down a little bit.
That was the most pleasing factor today and against Pakistan. This game is all about pressure, if you go deep into the innings with wickets in hand the opposition gives in. The game becomes easier. Important to control your impulses, for me its important to know the number of overs and runs left, even if the gap’s 25-30 and it comes to six an over I’m not bothered, as long we have 6 wickets in hand. I’m never focused on those things – when you don’t think of those milestones they happen along the way, for me it’s about taking pride for the team. If the hundred comes, good, if not, there’s a happy dressing room when you win. For me, these things do not matter anymore.
