IND vs AUS: India Reaches Champions Trophy Final for 5th Time, Virat Ends 14-Year Wait

Dubai, 4 March – (www.deccanlive.com): India has entered the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In the semifinal, India defeated Australia. Virat Kohli played an excellent innings against Australia.

India secured a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. Led by Rohit Sharma, Team India won the first semifinal against Australia by 4 wickets on Tuesday. Australia set a target of 265 runs in Dubai, which India chased successfully in 48.1 overs with 6 wickets down. This is the fifth time India has reached the Champions Trophy final.

Virat Kohli scored 84 runs and played a key role in India’s victory. This win also ended India’s 14-year wait for a major knockout victory against Australia. The last time India defeated Australia in an ICC knockout match was in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal. With this victory, India also took revenge for the loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

India will now play the final on March 9 in Dubai. The second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand will take place in Lahore on Wednesday, March 5.

Virat Kohli’s Three Partnerships

India started carefully while chasing the target. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill added 30 runs for the first wicket. Gill got out in the fifth over after scoring 8 runs, dismissed by Ben Dwarshuis. Rohit made 28 runs from 29 balls, hitting three fours and one six. He was given LBW out by Cooper Connolly in the eighth over.

After that, Virat Kohli took charge. He built a crucial 91-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket. Iyer was in good form but missed his half-century. He scored 45 runs from 62 balls, hitting three fours, before getting bowled by Adam Zampa in the 27th over.

Kohli completed his 74th ODI half-century in 53 balls. He then added 44 runs for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who scored 27 runs from 30 balls. Axar was bowled by Nathan Ellis in the 35th over.

KL Rahul Hits the Winning Six

After losing four wickets for 178 runs, Australia tried to make a comeback, but Kohli and KL Rahul kept India on track. They built a 47-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Kohli was moving towards his 52nd ODI century, but Zampa dismissed him in the 43rd over. Kohli scored 84 runs from 98 balls, hitting five fours. He was named Player of the Match.

After Kohli’s dismissal, Rahul stayed till the end. He made a 34-run partnership with Hardik Pandya, who scored 28 runs from 24 balls, hitting one four and three sixes. It looked like both would finish the match, but Hardik got out in the 48th over to Ellis.

Rahul remained not out, scoring 42 runs from 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes. He hit the winning six against Glenn Maxwell, securing India’s victory.

Captain Smith and Carey Score Half-Centuries

Earlier, Indian bowlers performed well, but thanks to half-centuries from Steve Smith and Alex Carey, Australia managed to score 264 runs in 49.3 overs. Mohammed Shami took three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each.

Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first. He scored 73 runs from 96 balls, hitting four fours and one six. However, most Australian batters could not take full advantage of the favorable pitch and lost their wickets by playing careless shots.

Smith played a key role in the Australian innings, forming three important partnerships:

• 52 runs for the second wicket with Travis Head
• 56 runs for the third wicket with Marnus Labuschagne
• 54 runs for the fifth wicket with Alex Carey

Carey played a crucial knock, scoring 61 runs from 57 balls, including eight fours and one six.

Travis Head Out After Scoring 39 Runs

Travis Head, who often troubles India, got several chances but could not capitalize and was out for 39 runs. On the very first ball of the match, Shami dropped his catch. He also escaped a run-out and twice avoided being bowled by a very small margin.

Head played some beautiful shots, including a six off Hardik Pandya and three consecutive fours against Shami. His innings helped Australia recover from early setbacks. He opened the innings with Cooper Connolly, who got out for a duck. Connolly was included in the team due to Matthew Short’s injury.

Varun Chakravarthy, who took five wickets against New Zealand in the previous match, dismissed Head. Shubman Gill took a running catch in the deep. Marnus Labuschagne was given out LBW by Jadeja.

Australia Crosses 250 Runs

Josh Inglis was caught by Virat Kohli at short cover off Jadeja’s bowling. Meanwhile, Smith continued to score and hit a straight six off Jadeja. However, he missed a full-toss from Shami, and the ball hit his stumps.

When Glenn Maxwell came to bat, Australia had 198 runs for five wickets with 13 overs left. It was a good opportunity for him, but he got out to Axar Patel without even reaching double digits.

Carey added 34 runs for the seventh wicket with Ben Dwarshuis, helping Australia cross 250 runs. However, he got run out while attempting a second run due to a sharp throw from Shreyas Iyer.