IND vs AUS: India has maintained its fine run in the Champions Trophy 2025 and reached the final after a nail-biting 4-wicket win against Australia in the semi-final. The game, which was played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, was a roller-coaster ride with both sides showing great skill and determination.
Virat Kohli’s game-changing 84-run knock was the highlight of the chase, although he failed to reach a century, leaving the team and the spectators with a feeling of what could have been. Kohli was, however, given the Player of the Match for his contribution to the win.
1st innings of IND vs AUS Champions Trophy 2025 Knockouts
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| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Travis Head
|
c Shubman Gill b Varun | 39 | 33 | 46 | 5 | 2 | 118.18 | ||
|
Cooper Connolly
|
c †Rahul b Mohammed Shami | 0 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
|
Steven Smith (c)
|
b Mohammed Shami | 73 | 96 | 133 | 4 | 1 | 76.04 | ||
|
Marnus Labuschagne
|
lbw b Jadeja | 29 | 36 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 80.55 | ||
|
Josh Inglis †
|
c Kohli b Jadeja | 11 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 91.66 | ||
|
Alex Carey
|
run out (Iyer) | 61 | 57 | 84 | 8 | 1 | 107.01 | ||
|
Glenn Maxwell
|
b Patel | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 140.00 | ||
|
Ben Dwarshuis
|
c Iyer b Varun | 19 | 29 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 65.51 | ||
|
Adam Zampa
|
b Pandya | 7 | 12 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 58.33 | ||
|
Nathan Ellis
|
c Kohli b Mohammed Shami | 10 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 142.85 | ||
|
Tanveer Sangha
|
not out | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | ||
| Extras | (w 7) | 7 | |||||||
| Total |
49.3 Ov (RR: 5.33)
|
264 | |||||||
Australia batted first after winning the toss, and Travis Head and David Conolly started the innings. Both batsmen were put under a lot of pressure in the early stages of the innings by India pacer Mohammad Shami, who kept on delivering aggressively.
Head got a lifeline early in the game when Shami missed a caught-and-bowled opportunity on the second ball. It was a close-missed chance since the ball arrived at Shami with lightning speed.
Conolly’s wicket followed shortly, with Shami getting the breakthrough, and Steven Smith joining in to bat at three. Head, having been relieved of early tension, started playing more freely, hitting 39 runs from 33 balls. But it was the arrival of Varun Chakravarthy that turned the game, as he got Head out with a well-played googly that was caught by Shubman Gill at long-off.
After Head’s departure, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne established a strong middle-overs partnership. But India struck back when Jadeja LBW-trapped Labuschagne and Australia’s run was stalled.
Though Australia lost wickets at the right time, they still managed to reach a competitive 264 runs. Key wickets such as Maxwell and Smith’s in the end overs left them short by 20 runs, and India had a target that was definitely within reach.
India’s Nervous Start
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rohit Sharma (c)
|
lbw b Connolly | 28 | 29 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 96.55 | ||
|
Shubman Gill
|
b Dwarshuis | 8 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 72.72 | ||
|
Virat Kohli
|
c Dwarshuis b Zampa | 84 | 98 | 135 | 5 | 0 | 85.71 | ||
|
Shreyas Iyer
|
b Zampa | 45 | 62 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 72.58 | ||
|
Axar Patel
|
b Ellis | 27 | 30 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 90.00 | ||
|
KL Rahul †
|
not out | 42 | 34 | 60 | 2 | 2 | 123.52 | ||
|
Hardik Pandya
|
c Maxwell b Ellis | 28 | 24 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 116.66 | ||
|
Ravindra Jadeja
|
not out | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 200.00 | ||
| Extras | (w 3) | 3 | |||||||
| Total |
48.1 Ov (RR: 5.54)
|
267/6 | |||||||
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India’s reaction to Australia’s total was not smooth. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who have been consistent openers for India, had a shaky start. Gill’s poor form persisted as he was LBW by Australia’s Dwarshuis early in the innings, another disappointing start for the young opener in a knockout game.
This was the second successive game in which Gill missed out on his chance, as he was also dismissed early against New Zealand in the last game. Virat Kohli walked in at number three, determined to steady the chase. His calm batting, along with Rohit Sharma, stabilized India’s innings. Rohit, though, was dismissed by Conolly after attempting to sweep a ball to the square region, leading to another LBW wicket.
This placed India on shaky ground, but Shreyas Iyer’s presence gave some stability to the innings. He collaborated with Kohli and added 42 runs, but his wicket to Zampa, bowled by a leg-spin ball, left India on the back foot again.
India’s middle order was put to the test as Axar Patel, who had been perching on solid ground, was bowled out by a stunning ball from Nathan Ellis. This left the onus of taking India to the final on KL Rahul, who entered in the middle overs.
Rahul had a solid and prudent knock, rotating the strike and putting the chase back in hand. He finally ended the match in style, scoring a six to secure the win for India, taking them to the final and exacting revenge for their defeat against Australia in the 2023 World Cup final.
India’s Road to the Final of Champions Trophy 2025
India’s win against Australia in the semi-final is their third straight final appearance in the Champions Trophy, an incredible feat that speaks to the consistency and brilliance of Indian cricket at the international level. This win follows India’s 2013 Champions Trophy win, after which they suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the 2017 final. India now has the opportunity to regain the title and win yet another coveted trophy to their name.
Virat Kohli’s clinching performance
While the Indian team’s win was a collective effort, Virat Kohli was undoubtedly the standout performer. After India lost early wickets, Kohli took control of the chase and anchored the innings. He formed a crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer, which laid the foundation for the chase to progress smoothly.
Kohli brought up his half-century with elegance and looked set to score his second century of the tournament, but a crucial moment arrived in the 43rd over.
Kohli fell victim to Adam Zampa’s bowling, attempting to clear the long-on fielder. He mistimed the shot, and the ball was comfortably caught by Dwarshuis in the deep. Kohli’s innings ended at 84 runs from 98 balls, which included five well-timed boundaries.
While his innings were solid and effective, the frustration of not being able to turn it into a century still lingered. This left both his fans and teammates with a feeling of lost opportunity, but Kohli’s effort was still crucial in leading India towards the direction of victory.
Looking Ahead: India’s Final Challenge
India’s nail-biting victory over Australia in the semi-finals has paved the way for an electrifying final in the Champions Trophy 2025. With top guns such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer in prime form, India will try to take this momentum further into the final and reclaim the coveted trophy.
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