India defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai, booking a place in yet another ICC final. With this win, Rohit Sharma becomes the first captain to lead his side into the final of all four ICC men’s tournaments.
🏏 Match Recap: IND vs AUS, 1st Semi-Final
Chasing 265 in a high-stakes knockout clash, India’s experienced batting line-up stood tall. Virat Kohli anchored the chase with his trademark calmness, scoring a fluent 87 and earning the Player of the Match award. Shreyas Iyer (47), Axar Patel (33), KL Rahul (28) and Hardik Pandya (22*) all chipped in to seal the chase with 11 balls to spare.
📈 A Historic Chase
- 265 is now the highest successful chase in ICC knockouts against Australia – breaking India’s previous best of 261 in the 2011 World Cup QF.
- This is the fourth time India have beaten Australia in a CT knockout: 1998 QF, 2000 QF, 2025 SF.
👑 Kohli’s Mastery
“It’s about understanding the pitch and conditions. Partnerships win matches here. Timing, rotating strike, and composure were key today. Milestones don’t matter—doing the job for the team does.”
Kohli’s maturity shone through yet again, building key partnerships and ensuring the required rate never spiraled out of control. He now has 7 Player of the Match awards in ICC ODI tournaments, trailing only Sachin (10), McGrath and Rohit (8 each).
🧠 Rohit Sharma: The Mastermind
“We were calm, composed and clinical. It’s about understanding the pitch, assessing situations, and keeping things simple. A lot of thought went into building this squad – batting till 8 and six bowling options.”
This win marks India’s 5th final appearance in 9 Champions Trophy editions—the most by any team. Rohit’s leadership continues to set benchmarks in white-ball cricket.
🇦🇺 Australia’s Effort
Steve Smith praised his bowlers for keeping India in check until the 48th over, but rued crucial wickets lost at key stages. Australia’s young bowling unit, despite lacking big-match experience, showed promise throughout the tournament.
“Felt we were 15-20 short. Always one partnership away from pushing to 280+, which would have made things tighter.”
📊 Stat Highlights
- India remain unbeaten in Dubai (10 wins, 1 tie).
- Rohit Sharma becomes the only captain to reach finals of:
- World Test Championship (2023)
- ODI World Cup (2023)
- T20 World Cup (2024)
- Champions Trophy (2025)
- Australia’s spinners struggled when dropping short: 0/90 off 83 balls.
🏆 What’s Next?
India await the winner of South Africa vs New Zealand (semi-final 2) to be played in Lahore. The final will be held in Dubai, a venue that has almost become a fortress for India.
👀 Can Rohit & Co add another ICC trophy to their cabinet?
Having lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024, India now stand just one step away from ending a long ODI ICC title drought since 2013.
Categories: Cricket, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Match Reports
Tags: Kohli PoTM, IND vs AUS 2025 SF, India vs Australia chase, Rohit ICC finals record, Dubai cricket stats, Champions Trophy final
