Australia vs India - Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final Highlights:

In a high-stakes semi-final clash at the Dubai International Stadium, India secured a thrilling four-wicket victory over Australia, chasing down 264 with 11 balls to spare. The match saw stellar performances from both sides, but Virat Kohli’s masterful innings again anchored India to success on the big stage.

Australia’s Innings: A Start, Struggles, and a Shortfall

Winning the toss, Australian captain Steve Smith opted to bat first, but the innings began on a shaky note as they lost Cooper Connolly early for just 4, leaving them at 4/1. Despite wickets falling at regular intervals (54/2, 110/3, 144/4, 198/5), Smith held firm at one end, stitching small yet crucial partnerships. His well-compiled 73 off 96 balls was the backbone of the innings.

Travis Head provided a quickfire start with 39 off 33 balls, while Alex Carey played an enterprising knock of 61 off 57 balls, ensuring Australia crossed the 250 mark. However, they failed to accelerate in the death overs, folding for 264 in 49.3 overs - at least 20 runs short of what experts deemed a par score on a good batting wicket.

India’s Bowling Highlights:

  • Mohammed Shami: 10 overs, 3/48 – led the attack with disciplined bowling.

  • Varun Chakaravarthy: 10 overs, 2/49 – maintained tight control in the middle overs.

  • Ravindra Jadeja: 8 overs, 2/40 – provided crucial breakthroughs.

  • Axar Patel: 8 overs, 1/43 – economical and effective.

India’s Chase: A Calm and Composed Effort

India’s chase started with captain Rohit Sharma once again providing an attacking start, scoring 28 off 29 balls. However, he failed to convert it into a big one. With early wickets falling, the onus shifted to the middle order.

Virat Kohli, once again the architect of an Indian chase, played a sublime knock of 84 off 98 balls. He anchored the innings with precision, ensuring there were no hiccups in India’s march to the final. His ability to keep the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles (64 of his 84 runs came this way) was a masterclass in chasing.

Shreyas Iyer played a composed knock of 45 off 62 balls, while Axar Patel (27 off 30 balls) made valuable contributions, building key partnerships with Kohli. KL Rahul (42 off 34 balls) played a pivotal role in the latter stages, and Hardik Pandya (28 off 24 balls) applied the finishing touches, guiding India to victory in 48.1 overs.

Interesting Stats:

  • KL Rahul became the 3rd fastest Indian to reach 3,000 ODI runs.

  • Virat Kohli in Champions Trophy Semi-Finals:

    • 58* (64) vs Sri Lanka, 2013

    • 96* (78) vs Bangladesh, 2017

    • 84 (98) vs Australia, 2025

  • Virat Kohli’s Dominance:

    • The first player to score 1,000 runs in ICC Knockout matches.

    • Most fifty-plus scores in ICC ODIs: 24* (surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 23).

    • India’s leading run scorer in Champions Trophy history.

    • 8,000+ ODI runs while chasing.

    • 5000 runs with singles in his ODI career!

    • Overtook Ricky Ponting to claim the second-most catches by a fielder in ODI cricket

    • Most catches as a fielder for India in international cricket.

  • India’s Toss Woes Continue: 14 consecutive toss losses in ODIs.

  • Captain Rohit Sharma in ICC Events:

    • 10-match winning streak in 2023.

    • 11-match winning streak from 2024-25.

    • Undefeated vs New Zealand.

    • Unbeaten in group stages in 2023, 2024 & 2025.

  • Rohit Sharma became the only captain to lead a team to the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC), ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy.

Match Summary:

Australia: 264 all out (49.3 overs)
India: 267/6 (48.1 overs)
Result: India won by 4 wickets with 11 balls remaining.
Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (84 off 98 balls)

Watch official video highlights here: Aus v Ind

For full scoreboard, stats, commentary, and match details:
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Australia vs India - Match 13

Date & Time: Tuesday 4th March, 14:30
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Toss: Australia won the toss and elected to bat!
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ), Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Michael Gough (ENG)
Match Referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

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Playing XIs:

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

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

What’s Next?

With this win, India advances to the Champions Trophy 2025 Final! The second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will determine their opponent.

Stay tuned for the final showdown! 🏆🔥

  • 5th March - 2nd Semi-Final: South Africa 🆚 New Zealand