IND vs AUS Preview: India’s chance to turn the tables

India and Australia are set to clash in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on March 4 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This encounter rekindles memories of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, where Australia emerged victorious.

India enters this semi-final with an impressive six-match winning streak in ODIs, having dominated their group matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. A key highlight has been the emergence of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who delivered a match-winning performance against New Zealand with figures of 5-42. His inclusion adds depth to India’s already potent spin attack, presenting a selection dilemma for the team management.

Captain Rohit Sharma has downplayed any perceived advantage of playing in Dubai, emphasizing that the pitches have been challenging for both batters and bowlers.

Meanwhile, Australia’s journey to the semi-finals has been marked by resilience, navigating rain-interrupted games and securing a crucial victory against England. The team proactively relocated from Pakistan to Dubai, anticipating India’s progression, which was confirmed after India’s win over New Zealand.

Spinner Adam Zampa acknowledges that he hasn’t been at his peak form but remains confident in his ability to deliver crucial wickets when needed. Australia’s squad has seen changes due to injuries, with Cooper Connolly replacing Matt Short, adding a fresh dynamic to the team

Pitch Report

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has helped the spinners during the three games it has hosted in the Champions Trophy 2025. The average first-innings score is around 240. Winning the toss and batting first could be a good ploy, as chasing isn’t going to be easy if the pitch continues to get slower. The team that bats first shouldn’t look to score too big a total from the outset. Instead, keeping wickets intact and aiming for a late onslaught could be fruitful.

Predicted Playing XIs

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

Australia: Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha