(Image source from: x.com/ICC)
Dubai is set to be the venue for the Champions Trophy final, where India will compete after showcasing their superiority against a depleted Australian team in a thrilling first semi-final match. Nonetheless, their triumph was not without challenges, and Australia could reflect on key moments that might have altered the outcome of the game in intriguing ways. Ultimately, it was India's superior skill and experience that made a significant impact, with a prominent player epitomizing these qualities. Virat Kohli had earlier demonstrated his ability to steer chases with a signature century against Pakistan in the tournament and appeared primed for another stellar performance. However, a rare misjudgment while aiming for a big shot ended his innings at 84. At that point, he had already surpassed 8000 runs in one-day international chases, bringing the target down to a manageable 40 runs off just 44 deliveries.
They required only 33 more balls, as KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya nearly finished the chase before Hardik was dismissed, leaving India needing just one more hit. Similar to a previous encounter during the Chennai World Cup match in 2023, Rahul concluded the innings with a six over long-on off Glenn Maxwell. Between them, Rahul and Hardik struck five sixes and three fours, yet even this late surge did not elevate India's boundary count (16 fours and seven sixes) beyond Australia's (20 fours and eight sixes). Instead, the foundation of their victory was their diligent running; they faced only 124 dot balls compared to Australia's 153 and accumulated 158 runs running between the wickets, while Australia managed only 129. This was largely due to the way Kohli and his teammates—five other Indian batters scoring over 25—maneuvered the ball into spaces and ran effectively. Additionally, the disparity in quality between the two bowling lineups, especially the spin bowlers, played a crucial role in the match. India’s spinners achieved a dot-ball percentage of exactly 50, while Australia’s was just over 39.
India maintained their strategy of utilising four spinners on a dry pitch that suggested plenty of turn; however, the surface turned out to be merely slow and low. While India's spinners did not have the means to dismantle the opposition entirely, they demonstrated significantly better control than their Australian counterparts, keeping wickets in play and limiting the scoring opportunities for the batters. Despite this, Australia came close at times to amassing a total around 300 after opting to bat, with three of their batters delivering performances that could have swung the match in their favor on another occasion. Unfortunately for them, all three players were dismissed just when they appeared most threatening, contributing to their own dismissals in the process.
Travis Head unleashes havoc with the willow before Varun Chakaravarthy strikes back for India
— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2025
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Travis Head, dismissed by Mohammed Shami off his own bowling in the game's first over, took some time to adjust to the sluggish nature of the pitch. However, once he settled in, he unleashed some powerful boundary shots, racing from just 1 run in 11 deliveries to 39 off 32, which surely reminded India of their encounter in Ahmedabad 2023. When facing his first delivery from Varun Chakravarthy in any format, including the IPL, he aimed for a big hit down the ground but ended up misplaying a delivery that spun, resulting in a catch at long-off. Meanwhile, Steven Smith skillfully maneuvered his bat to guide the spinners for boundaries over midwicket, through the covers, or straight down the ground. He scored a clever and assertive 73, forming half-century partnerships with Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Alex Carey. Luck was also on his side; Shami missed a return catch off him, albeit with his left hand, and Axar Patel had him edge a drive into the stumps, but the bails failed to dislodge.
Two big wickets bring India back into the contest #ChampionsTrophy #INDvAUS :https://t.co/hFrI2t8AC9 pic.twitter.com/lzuV9laq2M
— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2025
However, with Australia struggling at 198 for 4 in the 37th over, Smith stepped out to attempt a shot between cover and mid-off but lost his form and missed a full-toss that struck the base of the off stump. Just five balls later, Australia lost another crucial wicket as Glenn Maxwell, after hitting a slog-swept six off Axar, misplayed a pull on a full delivery that was heading for the stumps. The match quickly shifted in favor of India.
Despite this, Carey remained at the crease, possibly delivering the standout innings of the match up to that point. Coming in during a challenging phase with Australia at 144 for 4, and after Ravindra Jadeja had dismissed both Labuschagne and Josh Inglis in swift order, he launched a counterattack. He targeted open areas in the outfield without holding back. His first boundary, off the sixth ball he faced, set the stage as he moved away to expose all three stumps and made enough room to lift Jadeja over mid-off. The length of the delivery didn't quite allow for a perfect connection, but he followed through, knowing there was no fielder in that vicinity.
Half-centuries from Steve Smith and Alex Carey helped Australia set India a target of 265 in the first semi-final #ChampionsTrophy #INDvAUS : https://t.co/hFrI2t8AC9 pic.twitter.com/DiL9XB732c
— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2025
In this manner, through sweeps, lofted shots over the covers, and reverse sweeps, Carey raced to 60 off 56 balls. However, just when it became crucial for him to stay at the crease with Australia at seven wickets down in the 47th over, he hesitated and went for a risky second run, leading to a brilliant direct hit from Shreyas Iyer at backward square leg, leaving him short. All these instances culminated in Australia being bowled out for 264, with three balls left. This total allowed India to pace their chase without rushing for boundaries, although the initial exchanges suggested otherwise. Shubman Gill charged down the pitch to strike Ben Dwarshuis with an impressive short-arm jab, only to later edge into his stumps in the same over while attempting a fine steer, a shot that seemed rather ill-advised.
Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, attacked the bowling as he typically does during the initial powerplay, producing an innings similar to Head's: there were some stunning shots, including a six pulled off Nathan Ellis; two catches were dropped, neither too simple, yet catchable, by Cooper Connolly and Labuschagne; and he eventually got out playing an overly ambitious shot, sweeping a too-full, too-straight delivery from Connolly. This left India at 43 for 2 in the eighth over, and Connolly could finally relax after a challenging match up to that point. Earlier, stepping in for the injured Matthew Short, whom he had replaced in the Australian lineup, he had ended up with a duck on nine balls, which also featured six consecutive plays-and-misses against Shami.
A clinical performance by India as they become the first team to reachconsecutive #ChampionsTrophy finals #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/m18KpULOkQ
— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2025
Connolly could have experienced even more satisfaction in his sixth over when Kohli, attempting to maneuver the left-arm spin into the on side, edged a leading shot that floated towards Maxwell stationed at a catching short cover. Maxwell dove to his right but was unable to secure the one-handed catch. With Kohli at 51 and India at 134 for 2, Australia might have created an opening had they capitalized on this chance. Nevertheless, Kohli made batting appear deceptively easy, relying solely on traditional percentage shots while somehow scoring faster than Iyer—who was continually moving around the crease, often to scoop balls over his shoulder—in a third-wicket partnership of 91. Kohli only struck five fours in total—two pulls against the spinners and one off Ellis stood out for the quickness of his footwork—but had no trouble in maintaining the flow of runs.
This was partly due to Australia having to allow singles to deep fielders because of the weaknesses in their spin attack, which consisted of one established frontline bowler, Adam Zampa, a leg-spinner in only his fourth ODI in Tanveer Sangha, and three batting all-rounders or part-timers in Connolly, Maxwell, and Head. Additionally, given the score he was defending, Smith needed to safeguard the boundaries, allowing singles to accumulate while waiting for a chance.
This opportunity arose when Iyer, making space to cut, was bowled by Zampa's faster ball, leaving India needing 131 runs off 142 balls. However, they remained strong favorites due to their batting depth. They settled into what seemed to be a familiar pattern with Kohli aiming to anchor the chase alongside Axar—who was batting in his usual No. 5 position—while Rahul supported him by aggressively facing the bowlers in partnerships of 44 and 47.
Just as everything was unfolding perfectly and a century appeared to be within Kohli's grasp, he was dismissed in a way that was unexpected for him. Earlier in the over, Rahul had successfully struck Zampa for a six straight down the ground, and India was comfortably on track with their scoring requirement. Typically, Kohli does not choose such moments to attempt hitting a six, yet on this occasion, he did. He misjudged the wrong delivery, and the ball probably turned less than he had anticipated, causing him to play a straighter shot than he intended, resulting in an easy catch for the fielder positioned at long-on. Although Kohli is renowned for his precision in chasing targets, he still experiences moments of human instinct.
