Dubai 5 march 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): For the second time in ten days, Virat Kohli lived up to his reputation as the ‘Chasemaster’ in ODIs, scoring a fine half-century (84, 98b, 5×4) to power India into the final of the Champions Trophy with a four-wicket win over Australia in the first semifinal here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (March 4, 2025).
The 36-year-old, like he did during his unbeaten century against Pakistan in the league game, played a measured knock, shunning risks and nudging the ball around while maintaining a healthy strike rate.
In pursuit of 265, skipper Rohit Sharma got the side off to a breezy start before Kohli and Shreyas Iyer built the foundation of the chase through their 91-run alliance for the third wicket.
Kohli lofted and pulled Nathan Ellis for two boundaries early in his knock and then manipulated the field like he was having a stroll in the park. At the other end, Shreyas took on left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly, cutting and sweeping him for three quick fours.
On the best batting surface of the tournament at this venue, Kohli and Shreyas were hardly troubled by an innocuous Aussie bowling attack.
Kohli swept and pulled leg-spinners Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha to bring up his half-century off 53 deliveries.
After Shreyas was dismissed, the former India captain – dropped on 51 by Glenn Maxwell – stitched vital partnerships with Axar Patel and K.L. Rahul (42 n.o., 34b, 2×4, 2×6) to ensure that Steve Smith’s men did not even get a sniff of a chance to come back into the contest.
With India just 40 runs away from the target, Kohli tried to loft Zampa down the ground but holed out to long-on, 16 runs short of his landmark.
Rahul and Hardik Pandya (28, 24b, 1×4, 3×6) then completed the formalities and entertained the crowd by raining fours and sixes to help the Men in Blue get their first knockout stage win over Australia in an ICC event in 14 years.
Earlier, half-centuries from Smith (73) and Alex Carey (61) provided a good platform for Australia to post a big total. However, a disciplined bowling performance and proactive captaincy from Rohit helped India get timely breakthroughs and restrict the reigning ODI champion to a below-par 264.
Travis Head got his side off to a flyer before Smith dropped anchor. After getting a reprieve on 36 – Mohammed Shami dropped a second catch off his bowling – Smith stepped up a gear when he drove and pulled Varun for a brace of boundaries.
At the other end, Carey came out guns blazing, taking on the spinners. He employed the sweep effectively, paddling Kuldeep to fine leg and slogged Varun over the midwicket.
Just when Smith looked to up the ante, he lost his stumps when he charged down to Shami and missed a full-toss. Axar castled Glenn Maxwell in the next over as Australia slumped to 205 for six in the 38th. From there, the Indian bowlers applied the squeeze, giving away only 51 in the last 10 overs. The stage was then perfectly set for Kohli to execute another masterclass in chasing down targets.
Summary: Inspired by Kohli, India defeats Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal, ending their long-standing struggle against the team.