Image Source : Depositphotos
India, the favored team, reaches Australia's turf for the semi-finals
India, the favored team, reaches Australia's turf for the semi-finals
India to face Australia in Dubai semi-final of Champion Trophy 2025.
After the 2011 World Cup, India has played four times with Australia in ICC ODI tournaments, in which the ratio was winning twice and losing twice. India’s two main wins came from round-robin matches in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, and they were defeated in the 2025 semi-finals and 2023 finals.
Since November 19, 2023, many months have passed, and now on Tuesday, we see the Champions Trophy semi-final where a different India will face a different Australia. In that World Cup, India put together a dream team and crushed every opponent until they faced Australia, who were strong enough to beat them in a single game. This match was like the famous Maracana 1950 game in cricket terms.
In this tournament, the gap between the two teams is bigger, especially with Australia missing their top pace bowlers, and Dubai's conditions making it even tougher for them. However, in a single match, these gaps matter less. Australia's line-up still has quality, with Travis Head at the top of the order, their strong middle order, and Adam Zampa's legspin, all posing a threat to India.
For India, questions that were overlooked during the group stage are now becoming more urgent. Virat Kohli has just played his 300th ODI, but how many more will he play? The same questions arise for Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from T20 after India's World Cup win last year. How much longer will they continue in ODIs? Are they aiming for the 2027 World Cup, or is this Champions Trophy their final goal?
Whenever they decide to retire, they will want to leave with another ODI trophy. They all won the 2013 Champions Trophy, and Kohli has a 2011 World Cup medal. The current generation, which they have helped shape, could be India's best-ever ODI team, but they still lack the silverware to prove it.
Australia has blocked their path before, and now they are standing in India's way again.
Now in the Australian Team, Cooper Connolly is gonna play as Matt Short is injured and it seems likely that the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder will play right away, considering the conditions in Dubai and the fact that Australia lost both an opener in Short and an offspinner who bowled 7-0-21-0 in their last match. If Connolly plays, Australia must decide who will open with Head. Josh Inglis seems like the most probable option; he opened during Australia's three-match home ODI series against West Indies last year, scoring 65, 9, and 35*. There is also a possibility that Australia might pick a second frontline spinner, Tanveer Sangha, depending on how the pitch looks.
India will have to think about some important questions after Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets against New Zealand on Sunday. The pitch they play on will likely influence their decisions. The semi-final will be played on the same pitch that was used for the Pakistan vs India match on February 23.
Australia (probable): Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa
India (probable): Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy
Top Articles
See more
Kohli dismissed early; Pujara, Rahane, and Ayush Badoni narrowly missed out on centuries
31 Jan 2025
Shami, fully pain-free, aims to play domestic matches to prove his fitness for Australia
22 Oct 2024
New Zealand Fast Bowler Ben Sears Misses India Tour; Uncapped Jacob Duffy Added to Squad
15 Oct 2024
Sri Lanka Selects Former England Star Ian Bell as Batting Coach for Upcoming Test Series
14 Aug 2024
Get live cricket scores and insightful articles at Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd. Follow your favorite matches and read expert analyses, player profiles, and more. Your ultimate destination for cricket updates and in-depth coverage.
Any Questions? Contact us at: contact@gamegiri.com
Copyright & Design By Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd - 2025 All rights reserved.