ICC Champions Trophy 2025 India to Face Australia in First Semi-Final

The much awaited first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will see India taking on Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 4. India finshed at the top of Group A after an impressive 44 run victory over New Zealand in their final group stage match. Meanwhile  Australia known for their dominance in ICC tournaments  will be looking to add another knockout win to their prestigious record.

Jumbled Scheduling and Travel Challenges

The tournament schedule has posed logistical challenges  especially for South Africa  who had traveled to Dubai but now have to fly back to Lahore for their semi final against New Zealand. The scheduling was influenced by India’s refusal to play matches in Pakistan  resulting in their semi-final being scheduled in Dubai regardless of their group standings. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had previously attempted to convince India to play in Lahore  but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cited government restrictions as the reason for their decision.

A Do or Die Clash between India and Australia

India and Australia has great history in  ICC events. India’s only victory over Australia in a knockout game came in the 2011 ODI World Cup quarter final. However Australia has often had the upper hand most notably in the 2023 ODI World Cup final  where Travis Head’s century guided them to victory. As both teams eye a spot in the final  India will be cautious in their approach because Australia has the ability to beat India.

Pitch report and Wheather in Dubai.

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is known for its slow pitches we have seen hardly any high scorring matches here. The surface of the wicket here often help bowlers  especially spinners in the middle overs  it is test to the batters While chasing has been successful at this venue putting up a competitive first-innings total can also be crucial. The weather is expected to be sunny in the afternoon  with slight cloud cover in the evening but no rain is forecasted.

Team lineups and probable playing XI

Australia is expected to make a change in their lineup likely bringing in Jake Fraser-McGurk for Matthew Short. On the other hand India will face dificulty in selecting playing XI  particularly regarding mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy  who took five wickets in the last game against New Zealand. However, Rohit Sharma is expected to stick with the same XI that played the last group-stage match.

Probable Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.

Australia: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson.

India vs. Australia Head-to-Head in ODIs

 Matches Played: 151

 India Wins: 57

Australia Wins: 84]

No Result: 10

Match Details and Broadcast Information

Match: India vs. Australia  st Semi-Final

Venue; Dubai International cricket stadium

Date: March 4, 2025

Time: 2:30 PM IST / 1:00 PM Local

Live Telecast: Star Sports 2 HD/SD (English), Sports 18 1 HD/SD (Hindi)

Live Streaming:  jioHotstar

As India and Australia prepare for another high-voltage encounter fans across the globe will be eagerly watching to see which team books their place in the Champions Trophy 2025 final. With both teams strong lineups and rich histories in ICC tournaments  the matchpromises to be a thrilling contest.