India will take the field with the aim of reaching the Champions Trophy final for the third consecutive time. On the other hand, Australia dreams of making it to the final after a 16-year gap. The much-anticipated clash between the two rivals will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 3 PM Bangladesh time.
India secured their spot in the semifinals as Group ‘A’ champions, winning all three of their group-stage matches. Rohit Sharma’s team defeated Bangladesh and Pakistan by 6 wickets each and triumphed over New Zealand by 44 runs in the final group match.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy was included in India’s Champions Trophy squad as a replacement for the injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Making his debut in the final group-stage match in place of Harshit Rana, Varun stunned everyone with a five-wicket haul. His performance has given the Indian team management a selection headache ahead of the semifinal, with captain Rohit Sharma acknowledging the tough decision between Varun and Rana.
India faced heartbreak in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, losing to Australia on home soil. Now, another ICC knockout clash against Australia awaits. Rohit Sharma commented, “Australia always performs well in ICC events. It will be a great match. We must learn from our mistakes and execute our plans perfectly. Hopefully, this time, the result will be in our favor.”
India previously reached the Champions Trophy final in 2013 and 2017. If they qualify again, they will become the first team in history to reach three consecutive Champions Trophy finals.
Meanwhile, Australia started their campaign with a 5-wicket win over England. However, their next two group-stage matches against South Africa and Afghanistan were affected by rain, resulting in shared points. As a result, Steven Smith’s team finished as Group ‘B’ runners-up, securing a semifinal berth.
Having last played a Champions Trophy final in 2009, Australia is cautious about facing India in the semis. Captain Steven Smith acknowledged the challenge, stating, “India is one of the best teams in world cricket. For the past 8-10 years, they have consistently made it to the semifinals of ICC events. They played exceptional cricket in the group stage. To beat such a team, we must bring our A-game. I am confident my teammates will give their best and secure a place in the final.”
India and Australia have faced each other 151 times in ODIs. Australia has won 84 matches, while India has emerged victorious in 57 encounters, with 10 matches ending without a result. Additionally, this will be their first Champions Trophy meeting in 16 years, with their last clash occurring in 2009.
India Squad:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Australia Squad:
Steven Smith (Captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Cooper Connolly, Adam Zampa.
