India vs Australia: The State of Play
India will be targeting a third consecutive appearance in the final when they face Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Trophy 2025 on Tuesday.
With two titles each, the most successful sides in the history of the trophy meet in Dubai after India’s spinners took nine wickets for the first time in 14 years to complete a perfect group stage with a 44-run win over New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma, who was part of a top-three dismissed in only 6.4 overs alongside Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, called momentum “very, very critical” ahead of the semi-finals.
“You try and possibly win every game that is in front of you and try and do everything right,” said the only captain to win three out of three games.
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“It is going to be a good game and we know Australia have a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well. We do understand that.
“It’s about what we want to do against the opposition and trying to do that right. We’re all looking forward to the contest and hopefully we can stitch one [more win]”.
Australia finished behind South Africa, signing off with their second group match to be abandoned by rain against Afghanistan in Lahore on Friday.
Ben Dwarshuis belied his One-Day International experience to take 3-47, with Spencer Johnson and leg-spinner Adam Zampa each collecting two wickets and Travis Head posting an unbeaten 59 off 40 deliveries.
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India vs Australia team news
Matt Short sustained a quad injury against Afghanistan, so Australia have called up all-rounder Cooper Connolly.
Jake Fraser-McGurk is the obvious option to come in at the top of the order. If the 22-year-old is not used, Josh Inglis could move up the order.
Mitchell Starc opted out of the tournament for Australia for personal reasons, while Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh have all missed out through injury.
All-rounders Sean Abbott and Aaron Hardie and spinner Tanveer Sangha could be options if Andrew McDonald’s team selection is to spring surprises, while Ben Dwarshuis’s total of six wickets is bettered only by New Zealand’s Matt Henry, of the players still involved in the tournament.
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Sharma says Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul against New Zealand has given him a “good headache to have”.
“He’s got something different about him, there’s no doubt about it,” he added. “Varun was class. If he gets it right, it’s very difficult to read him. We’ve got to think about what we want to do.”
India vs Australia expected line-ups
India: Sharma (c), Gill, Kohli, Iyer, Patel, Rahul (wk), Pandya, Jadeja, Rana, Yadav, Chakravarthy
Australia: Head, Smith (c), Inglis (wk), Labuschagne, Carey, Maxwell, Connolly, Dwarshuis, Ellis, Zampa, Johnson
How to watch India vs Australia: TV channel, live stream
The ICC Champions Trophy can be watched in the UK on Sky Sports. Tuesday’s coverage starts on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket at 0830.
In India, it is being shown on the JioStar network with JioHotstar providing live streaming. On television, in addition to the English feed, coverage will also be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada across Star Sports and Sports18 channels.
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India vs Australia prediction
India have played all of their matches in Dubai and it would be a significant surprise if they do not advance a game from repeating their 2013 triumph with another win there.
Australia’s absentees do not help their cause as they try to hold off a formidable set of spinners. Fast-bowler Mohammed Shami also claimed five against Bangladesh during the group stage.
“Australia have been such a great team over the years, so we will expect some fightback and some nervy times in the middle as well,” predicted Sharma.
“We are talking about a semi-final. There will be pressure on both teams to win.”
