India Full Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K.L. Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Australia Full Squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa.
India vs Australia Semifinal: Rohit Sharma-led India will play their biggest competitor, mighty Australia, in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy in 2025. The match will be played on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, at the Dubai International Stadium.
The last time India and Australia met in an ODI set-up was back in November 2023, that too in the ODI World Cup, where Pat Cummins led Australia defeated the hosts India by 6 wickets.
Since November 19, 2023, much has changed, and india semifinal match on Tuesday will feature a different team and a transformed Australia. However, the essence of that unforgettable World Cup encounter remains unchanged. India fielded a team for the ages, dominating opponents with ease, only to face an Australia side that, while not superior, was certainly good enough to triumph in a high-stakes, one-off match. India vs Australia semifinal match is going to be an instance where both teams have the potential to defeat each other.
The result mirrored Maracana 1950 in football—a stunning upset against the odds, a moment where form and reputation collided with the unpredictable nature of sport, creating a historic upset.
India vs Australia Semifinal: Match Preview
India enters this Champions Trophy semi-final on the back of an impressive six-match ODI winning streak. After a dominant 3-0 whitewash of England at home, the Men in Blue have followed it up with victories over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill have been standout performers with the bat, with Shreyas contributing two half-centuries and Shubman adding a century to his name. Virat Kohli struggled against Bangladesh and New Zealand but displayed his class with an unbeaten century against Pakistan.
Captain Rohit Sharma, though yet to score a fifty, has batted with a positive mindset. Mohammed Shami impressed with a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh, though he’s gone wicketless in the next two matches. Varun Chakravarthy, brought in for the last game, repaid the team’s faith with a five-wicket performance.
Australia finished second in Group B, including a famous victory over England, chasing down a challenging 352-run target with ease. They progressed to the knockouts despite two matches ending without a result. Matthew Short was in good touch, scoring a quick half-century against England, but is ruled out due to a quad injury. Travis Head, however, has been in excellent form, including a brilliant half-century against Afghanistan.
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Australia and India Without the Service of Top Pacer
Australia will be wary of Head’s destructive ability, as he’s troubled India in recent encounters. Josh Inglis played a match-winning knock against England, scoring an unbeaten 120. Despite missing their top pacers—Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins—Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson have shown promise, while Adam Zampa has been effective with two wickets in each of his outings.
On the other hand, India is without the service of their premium and most dependable pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The 32-year-old missed the Champions Trophy due to a “lower back injury” sustained during India’s fifth Test against Australia in Sydney. Despite missing their pace spearhead, India navigated the group stage, relying heavily on their spinners, particularly during the middle overs, to progress.
India vs Australia Semifinal, Champions Trophy: Full Squad
Dubai International Stadium: Pitch Report
The pitch for this semi-final is the same one used for India’s match against Pakistan on February 23. It has played similarly to the pitches in India’s other two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand, with a common trend: spinners have averaged 42.22 in the first innings at 4.81 runs per over, while in the second innings, their average drops to 24.76 with an economy of 4.18.
The Dubai pitches have shown a tendency to slow down after 100 overs, and with dew unlikely to be a factor, the captain winning the toss may opt to bat first. A sunny day with a maximum temperature of 29°C is expected.