March 4th 2025.
In an intense and nail-biting match, Virat Kohli led India to their fifth Champions Trophy final with a well-played 84-run knock against Australia. Despite a strong performance from the Aussies, India emerged victorious with a clinical four-wicket win in the first semi-final clash held in Dubai on Tuesday.
This win also secured India's place as the host for the final, as the original venue, Lahore, was deemed unsafe due to security concerns. Kohli, who was awarded the player of the match, was the key player for India, scoring crucial runs and steering the team to victory after Steve Smith and Alex Carey set a target of 264 runs for Australia.
The Indian team now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand, which will take place in Lahore on Wednesday. Kohli received wonderful support from Shreyas Iyer, with whom he shared a 91-run partnership for the third wicket. This helped India recover from the early departures of skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Despite Australia missing some of their top players, India had not beaten them in knockout matches of an ICC tournament since the 2011 World Cup quarter-final. But Kohli was determined to change that and took full advantage of the fresh and smooth pitch, maintaining a steady pace and controlling the asking rate.
In the past, Kohli had struggled to score against spinners in ODI matches, but he effectively neutralized leg-spinner Adam Zampa's threat with his signature pull and drive shots. He placed the ball perfectly in the wide arc between sweeper cover and mid-wicket, allowing him to score runs without taking any risks. However, he lost his partners Iyer and Axar Patel in quick succession.
But Kohli's fifty in 53 balls gave India a strong lead, and it seemed like he was on his way to a century when he was dropped by Glenn Maxwell on 51. However, he fell short of the hundred as he mistimed a shot off Zampa, and Ben Dwarshuis caught the ball near long-on when India needed 40 runs for victory.
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya then played aggressively and smartly, helping India secure the win without much difficulty. The Indian bowlers also deserve credit for their tight performance, limiting Australia's batting despite fifties from Smith and Carey.
Smith won the toss for Australia, but the batters couldn't capitalize on the favorable batting conditions and kept throwing their wickets away with careless shots. Throughout the match, Smith was the backbone of the Australian innings, involved in three 50-run partnerships - 52 with Travis Head for the second wicket, 56 with Marnus Labuschagne for the third wicket, and 54 with Carey for the fifth wicket.
However, these partnerships could have been more significant if they had bloomed into something more substantial. Travis Head was lucky to escape a dropped catch by Mohammed Shami in the first legal delivery of the match, a near run-out, and a couple of inside edges that missed the stumps by a whisker. But Varun Chakravarthy ended his threat by taking his wicket when he skied the ball to Shubman Gill in the deep.
Labuschagne also fell victim to a straighter one from the impressive Ravindra Jadeja, getting trapped in front of the wicket. Smith, on the other hand, maintained excellent control and even hit a thumping six off Jadeja. However, his innings came to an end when he mindlessly charged at a full toss from Shami, and the ball crashed onto the stumps.
Glenn Maxwell came in to bat with a perfect opportunity at 198 for five and 13 overs left, but he got out after trying an inexplicable back-foot punch off Axar Patel. Carey continued to play with determination and even had a useful partnership with Dwarshuis for the seventh wicket, helping Australia reach a score of 250. However, this target was no match for the strong Indian batting unit.
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