Virat's master class propels India to the final of The ICC Champions Trophy 2025

 

File: Steve Smith, Travis Head, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya credit-ICC

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is now in its final knockout phase. Last night, the 1st semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was played between red-hot India and the Mighty Aussies at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

It was a Knockout match between the two excellent sides in the white ball so it was expected to be a cracker of a game. India and Australia had a rich history of producing epic encounters at the knockout stage and this time around also there was nothing different. Both the teams played a top-quality game and tried to put up a show to grab the ticket for the all-important final. The crowd came in huge numbers to support their teams.

Team News

Australia replaced injured Mathew Short with all-rounder Cooper Connolly, whereas Leggie Tanveer Sanga made his ODI debut, replacing Spencer Johnson. Team India had selected the same playing 11 that won the match against New Zealand.

1st Innings and Key Performances 

Aussies won the Toss and decided to bat 1st on a track that was looking quite slow and tricky. Australia lost an early wicket in the form of Cooper Connolly, as Shami provided India with an early breakthrough. Steve Smith joined Travis Head in the middle. Head took a little bit of time before playing his time. He played brilliant shots and took the game to the opposition.

Just when Travis Head was looking dangerous, Varun Chakravarthy was brought in, and he got rid of aggressor Travis Head as Australia was reduced to 54/2 in the 9th over. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne tried to stabilize the innings and build a partnership. Eventually, Marnus got out to Jadeja. Inglis also departed early without making any impact with the bat. Alex Carrey played a fine counter-attacking knock along with Steve Smith, who was also in fine touch as the veteran completed his half-century. 

Photo: Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Rohit Sharma, and Steve Smith credit ICC

Just when both the batters were looking in total control and momentum was building, Steve Smith departed to a very casual full toss delivery as an error of judgment. Australia were reduced to 205/6 in the 37th over after Maxwell was trapped by Axar Patel. Alex Carrey scored a crucial fifty and took his team's total to 264 as they were bowled out in the last over. That total was looking. Almost 15-20 runs short at the halfway mark.

2nd Innings and Key Performances 

While chasing a tricky target on a slowish wicket, Indian openers started aggressively to put the bowling team under pressure. Shubman Gill departed early as the Aussies got the early breakthrough. Chase master Virat Kohli joined Captain Rohit Sharma in the middle. Cooper Connolly trapped Rohit in front of the wicket to halt the progress of the Indian team. Shreyas Iyer came to middle and started playing his shots as he was in fine form. 

He scored runs at ease as Australian inexperienced bowlers could not put both the batters under pressure. Virat Kohli was playing his role perfectly, as he did so often for his team. Both the batters kept the required run rate under control.

    Photo: Kohli and Iyar credit-ICC

Adam Zampa provided the Aussies with a very vital breakthrough to send back Shreyas Iyer. Axar Patel kept the momentum in their favor as India kept the chase well on course. Virat Kohli completed yet another fine half-century. Australia got a few wickets in the last phase, but until then, it was almost over as KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya completed another famous win for Team India in the important semifinal. India won the match by 4 wickets with 11 balls remaining. 

Top Performers of the Match

1st Innings

• Steve Smith scored 73 off 96 balls
• Alex Carrey scored 61 off 57 balls
• Muhammad Shami got 3 for 48 in his 10 overs

2nd Innings

• Virat Kohli scored 84 off 98 balls
• KL Rahul scored 42 runs off just 34 balls
• Nathan Ellis got 2 wickets for 49 runs in his 10 overs

    Photo: Virat Kohli credit-ICC

Player of the match

Virat Kohli was handed a well-deserved Man of the Match award as he played another top-quality knock in an all-important knockout game and took his team over the line. He has a habit of performing on the big stage again and again; that's why he is known as a chase master.

Where was the match lost for the Aussies?

Aussies made a lot of mistakes in the field as they dropped a couple of catches. But Virat Kohli's catch, which Maxwell dropped, proved costly for them as he never looked back after that dropped catch and took he team almost over the line.

What's next for both Teams?

Now India has qualified for the final, which will be played on 9th March 2025 at Dubai International Stadium. They will have to wait for the result of the 2nd semifinal to know which team they will face in the final. Whereas Aussies are now out of the tournament after loss.

    Photo: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Axar Patel credit-ICC

So, what do you think will win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.