Virat Kohli could not contain his excitement after Mohammed Shami provided India with a crucial breakthrough in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Shami delivered a probing over to Australian opener Cooper Connolly, repeatedly beating his bat. On the final delivery, he bowled a length ball outside off. Connolly attempted a cut but got an under-edge. The ball did not carry cleanly to KL Rahul, who dived forward to complete the catch.
India appealed immediately, but umpire Richard Illingworth turned it down. Rohit Sharma opted for a review. UltraEdge confirmed the edge. The decision was overturned, giving Shami his wicket. Connolly departed without scoring. Kohli, thrilled with the breakthrough, broke into an impromptu dance as India celebrated the early strike in the high-stakes clash.
Australia Win Toss and Bat First
Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first in the semifinal at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India topped Group A with three wins against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. Australia finished second in Group B behind South Africa.
This is the first time India and Australia are facing off in a 50-over match since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final. India lost that game in Ahmedabad but defeated Australia in their most recent ICC tournament clash on their way to the Men's T20 World Cup title.
Smith said the surface looked dry and expected it to take turn. Australia made two changes with Cooper Connolly replacing Matt Short and Tanveer Sangha coming in for Spencer Johnson.
India captain Rohit Sharma said he was ready to bat or bowl first. He acknowledged the unpredictable nature of the Dubai pitch and emphasized the importance of restricting Australia to a low total. India fielded an unchanged XI.
Playing XIs
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
