India and Australia are set for a high-octane clash in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. This will be the first time the two teams will collide in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, which Australia won by six wickets.
The weight of 2023 will be on India’s shoulders, along with lessons from their recent Border-Gavaskar campaign in Australia. The Aussies, however, have a history of excelling in crunch moments and will look to counter key absences with their renowned resilience.
India have been flawless so far, winning all three of their group-stage matches, including a commanding victory over New Zealand. Familiarity with the Dubai conditions could work in their favor, and they might field as many as four frontline spinners to exploit the slow track.
Australia’s campaign has been disrupted by rain, with two of their three matches affected, including one that was abandoned. However, they were on course for a dominant win against Afghanistan before the weather intervened. Their tournament began with a thrilling chase against England, showcasing their ability to step up in big games.
Kuldeep Yadav will be crucial for India in the middle overs. The left-arm wrist-spinner has already made an impact in this tournament, picking up multiple wickets in two group-stage matches. His 3 for 40 against Pakistan was instrumental in restricting them to 241, a target India chased down comfortably.
Adam Zampa will be equally important for Australia. The leg-spinner hasn’t been at his best in the tournament so far, but with Dubai’s conditions favoring slow bowlers, this could be his moment to turn things around. Australia’s team combination will be an interesting subplot, with the possibility of an additional spinner alongside Zampa.
India’s squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Australia’s squad: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.
