 "India vs Australia semi-final: Virat Kohli special sends Men in Blue into final with 4-wicket victory in Dubai")
India have reached the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 thanks to their four-wicket win over Australia in the first semi-final on Tuesday. Virat Kohli with his 84-run knock led the charge with the bat as India chased down a 265-run target with 11 balls remaining. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel also contributed to India’s chase with KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya providing the finishing touches. Kohli was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning batting performance.
This will be the third consecutive final of Champions Trophy for India having reached the summit clash in the previous editions in 2013 and 2017. India finished the group-stage of the ongoing tournament with three wins in as many games. With the victory against Australia in the semi-final, India have reached the Champions Trophy 2025 final undefeated. This is the third consecutive ICC tournament where India have qualified for the final without losing a single game.
Champions Trophy 2025: News | Schedule | Results | Points Table
The second semi-final is scheduled to be played between South Africa and New Zealand in Lahore, Pakistan on 5 March. The winner of the match will face India in the final on 9 March.
India vs Australia semi-final
Chasing 265, India suffered an early setback as openers Shubman Gill (8) and captain Rohit Sharma (28) fell within the first eight overs. However, Kohli steadied the innings alongside Shreyas Iyer, stitching a crucial 91-run partnership. Iyer contributed 45 off 62 balls before falling to Adam Zampa in the 27th over.
Axar Patel (27 off 30) and Kohli further consolidated the chase, but Australia kept striking at regular intervals. Kohli’s dismissal in the 43rd over, caught off Zampa, gave Australia hope, but KL Rahul (42* off 34) and Hardik Pandya (28 off 24) ensured India remained in control. Pandya’s quickfire innings was ended by Nathan Ellis in the 48th over, but Ravindra Jadeja (2* off 1) joined Rahul to guide India home in the 49th over.
Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in the first semi-final. Steve Smith and Alex Carey helped Australia post 264 runs. Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers for India, taking three wickets for 48 runs. Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy chipped in with two wickets each.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
