In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Australia chose to bat first after winning the toss against India in the opening semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy on Tuesday. This match is a re-run of their encounter in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final held in Ahmedabad, which saw Australia clinch its sixth One Day International title.
India advanced to the semifinals by leading Group A with consecutive victories over Bangladesh, host Pakistan, and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Australia secured second place in Group B, achieving wins against England and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, their match against South Africa, who topped their group, was called off due to rain.
South Africa is set to compete against New Zealand in the second semifinal, which will take place in Lahore on Wednesday. For India, the toss loss from the World Cup final continues to linger, marking the 14th consecutive time they’ve been on the losing end.
The Indian team remains unchanged from their last match on Sunday, maintaining their four-spinner strategy. Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya are the chosen pace bowlers. Varun Chakravarthy, who boasted impressive figures of 5-42 against New Zealand, joins spinners Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav to add depth to the team’s spin attack.
Australia, preparing for differing conditions from Lahore and Rawalpindi, will field three spinners. Tanveer Sangha steps in as a leg spinner, replacing pacer Spencer Johnson, with Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell extending the spin options. Due to an injury to Matthew Short, two alterations were made to the Australian side, including bringing in 21-year-old Cooper Connolly, who contributes left-arm spin.
The surface at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is anticipated to favor spin throughout the match, with previous games played here showing a varied pace that should continue in the semifinal.
Teams are lined up as follows:
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steve Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
