India secured their third consecutive Champions Trophy final appearance with a four-wicket victory over Australia in Dubai, successfully chasing down a target of 265 with 11 balls to spare. The tournament favorites will now face either New Zealand or South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday, looking to go one step further than 2017 when they lost to Pakistan in England.
Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock of 84, forming crucial partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (45), Axar Patel (27), and KL Rahul (42* off 34). Kohli was given a reprieve when Glenn Maxwell dropped him on 51 off Cooper Connolly’s bowling, a moment that proved costly for Australia. His innings came to an end when he holed out off Adam Zampa with 40 runs still required from 44 balls.
Hardik Pandya (28 off 24) provided the finishing touch, smashing successive sixes off Zampa in the 47th over to reduce the equation to 12 off 18 balls. Rahul then sealed the victory in style, launching Maxwell for a six over the leg-side.
Score Summary – India vs Australia
Australia: 265 all out in 49.3 overs (Steve Smith 73, Alex Carey 61; Mohammed Shami 3-48, Ravindra Jadeja 2-40)
India: 267-6 in 48.1 overs (Virat Kohli 84, Shreyas Iyer 45, KL Rahul 42*; Nathan Ellis 2-49, Adam Zampa 2-60)
Australia had earlier posted 265, with Steve Smith (73 off 96) and Alex Carey (61 off 57) leading the charge. However, India’s bowlers, led by Mohammed Shami (3-48), ensured they never got away. Shami also had a mixed outing, dropping two catches off his own bowling, which eventually cost India 76 runs. He later bowled Smith in the 37th over, triggering a collapse that saw Australia add only 66 more runs.
Travis Head (39 off 33) had an eventful innings, getting dropped on nought by Shami before attacking the Indian bowlers. He was finally dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy. Australia struggled to capitalize on their starts, with Maxwell (7) falling in the over after Smith’s dismissal.
During India’s chase, Rohit Sharma had a stroke of luck early on, dropped twice in the first three overs before being dismissed for 28. Kohli then anchored the innings with vital stands, ensuring India remained in control. Despite a few quick wickets, Pandya and Rahul finished things off with commanding stroke play.
India have played all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai due to political tensions preventing them from traveling to host nation Pakistan.
Post-Match Reactions
Player of the Match, India’s Virat Kohli:
“Partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing, so it’s about stringing those together and rotating strike. I was pleased with my timing and composure at the crease. I wasn’t getting desperate in chasing the total down.
“This game is all about pressure – especially in semis and finals – and so if you go deep in the innings, with enough wickets in hand, the opposition usually gives in and the game becomes easier.”
India captain Rohit Sharma:
“At the halfway stage, we felt like it was a reasonable score to chase, although we knew we’d have to bat well. We were clinical with the bat, very calm and composed in the chase.
“Kohli has done it for us for so many years. We wanted big partnerships, like he had with Shreyas and Axar, while those shots at the end from Rahul and Hardik were also very crucial.
“Credit goes to everyone in the team. When you go into a final, you want your players to be in form. All of these guys have made an impact and that’s something that gives us a lot of confidence.”
Australia captain Steve Smith:
“I thought our bowlers did a really good job, they worked hard throughout.
“They weren’t the easiest batting conditions, which is probably why the scores were what they were. Having said that, I thought we could have put a few more runs on the board.
“We lost wickets at crucial times. If we had got 280-plus, things could have been different.”
The second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will take place in Lahore on Wednesday, with the winner set to face India in the final.