India wore black armbands in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal against Australia to pay tribute to Padmakar Shivalkar, who passed away on March 3. Shivalkar was a left-arm spinner who played domestic cricket in the 1960s and 70s. He later coached the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team. Despite his remarkable record, he never played for India. The Indian cricket board honored him with the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Shivalkar played First-Class cricket from 1961 to 1988. In 124 matches, he took 589 wickets, including 42 five-wicket hauls and 13 10-wicket hauls. His performance in the 1972-73 Ranji Trophy final, where he took 8 for 16 and 5 for 18 against Tamil Nadu, helped Mumbai secure their 15th consecutive title.
Read Also | Padmakar Shivalkar Passes Away: India’s Domestic Cricket Stalwart Dies at 84
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.
