Who: India vs Australia
What: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal
The place: Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
When: Tuesday, March 4 at 1pm (09:00 GMT)
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India face Australia on Tuesday within the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy – a matchup that pits the favourites for the one-day worldwide (ODI) competitors in opposition to the 50-over world champions.
Certainly, the sport is a repeat of the ultimate of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, through which the Australians upset the chances to beat the hosts India within the remaining in Ahmedabad.
Does India’s Dubai location give them the sting?
India captain Rohit Sharma dismissed options that they’ve had an unfair benefit by being allowed to play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.
India refused to tour Pakistan for the tournament due to the strained political relations between the bitter neighbours, who play one another solely in multi-team occasions.
The Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC), which has former Indian board secretary Jay Shah as its present chairman, has been criticised for obliging the sport’s monetary engine by letting India camp in Dubai.
Whereas different groups shuttled amongst three Pakistani cities and Dubai, India didn’t face any journey problem and gained invaluable insights into the situations in Dubai, having performed all three group matches right here.
Rohit denied they held any benefit and mentioned surfaces on the Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium behaved in a different way.
“There are 4 or 5 surfaces which can be getting used and each floor has a special nature,” the opener mentioned forward of Tuesday’s semifinal in opposition to Australia.
“The pitches look the identical, however whenever you play on it, it has performed differently. So, you may’t go considering ‘We performed like this yesterday, and at present we’ll play like this’.
“We don’t know which pitch goes to be performed within the semifinal. However no matter occurs, we have now to adapt and see what is going on.
“This isn’t our residence; that is Dubai. We don’t play so many matches right here. That is new for us, too.”
India are unbeaten on this 12 months’s match, however Rohit predicted a tricky contest in opposition to Australia, who prevailed of their final encounter – the ultimate of the 2023 World Cup.
“Look, Australia have been such a fantastic staff through the years,” mentioned Rohit.
“So we’ll anticipate some fightbacks, we’ll anticipate some nervy occasions as nicely within the center.
“However that’s how the sport is being performed as of late. And you’re speaking a few semifinal.”
Can Australia’s spinners come to the get together within the semifinal?
Australia spinner Adam Zampa says he’s under his greatest on the Champions Trophy, however will nonetheless be able to take large wickets within the semifinal.
Zampa took 2-48 in the washed-out group match against Afghanistan and 2-64 within the five-wicket win over England in Lahore, Pakistan to assist Australia attain the final 4 of the ODI match.
The 32-year-old leg spinner could also be key to Australia’s hopes of victory in Dubai, the place India received their three group matches on spin-friendly wickets.
“Personally, I don’t assume I’m bowling fairly at my greatest, however I wish to assume the sweetness about me, once I’m not fairly at my greatest and never feeling that nice on the market, is my capability to nonetheless contribute and take these large wickets,” Zampa mentioned.
“So, yeah, [I am] clearly engaged on some stuff in the mean time to hopefully get again to my greatest.
“However as I mentioned, the flexibility to nonetheless do a job for the staff and get these large wickets continues to be there, which to me is admittedly essential.”
What have been the staff actions forward of the semifinals?
The Australia squad flew from Lahore to Dubai on Saturday regardless of figuring out they may must fly again to Pakistan for the second semifinal relying on the results of the India-New Zealand group match.
India duly beat New Zealand by 44 runs on Sunday to make sure Australia’s early journey to Dubai was price it.
South Africa, nonetheless, have been compelled to journey again to Pakistan for the second semifinal in opposition to New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday.
The ICC has come below fireplace over the scheduling however Zampa was not complaining.
“Clearly we had a little bit of a busy schedule enjoying a few video games in Pakistan, backwards and forwards in between cities,” he mentioned.
“It’s form of good to get right here. We’ve obtained a fantastic facility right here on the ICC Academy, modifications it up just a little bit as nicely, so yeah, the boys are feeling OK about it.”
What are India’s and Australia’s information within the Champions Trophy?
India have twice claimed victory within the Champions Trophy, in 2002 and 2013, however lost the final to Pakistan in the last edition. Australia beat the West Indies within the 2006 remaining, earlier than defending their crown in opposition to New Zealand in 2009.
India staff information
India went in with 4 spinners together with two all-rounders of their final group match in Dubai and got here up trumps with Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 5-42.
Rohit mentioned he might be tempted to maintain the identical mixture in opposition to Australia.
“He simply confirmed what he’s able to,” Rohit mentioned of man of the match Chakravarthy, a wrist spinner with many variations up his sleeve.
“Now it’s as much as us to assume and see how we will get that mixture proper. He did every little thing that was requested for … it’s a good headache to have.”
India have been dealt a blow forward of the match when the ICC’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year Jasprit Bumrah was dominated out by the bowler’s extended injury-related points.
Australia staff information
Australia have moved to cowl for Matt Brief, who has been dominated out attributable to a left quadriceps harm, with all-rounder Cooper Connolly authorized as a replacement in the squad.
Left-arm spinner Connolly will assist cowl the lack of Brief’s off-spin if the 21-year-old is chosen in opposition to India. However the onus might be on Adam Zampa to steer their spin assault.
The world champions misplaced quick bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to ankle and hip accidents respectively for the Champions Trophy. They’re additionally with out Mitchell Starc, who’s out for private causes.
Mitchell Marsh can be absent with an harm, whereas Marcus Stoinis introduced his retirement on the eve of the match.
Type information – India
Victories in each matches to this point may have come as an enormous enhance to an Indian aspect which have had restricted one-day worldwide cricket for the reason that 2023 Cricket World Cup remaining.
The three-0 sequence whitewash in opposition to England on the eve of the match was an enormous enhance following the 2-0 defeat within the three-match sequence in opposition to Sri Lanka final August.
Type information – Australia
Australia arrived on the Champions Trophy on the again of two ODI sequence losses, together with a whitewash away to Sri Lanka, however they turned issues round of their opening recreation in opposition to outdated rivals England, earlier than a washout in opposition to South Africa and a victory in opposition to Afghanistan.
Final 5 ODI matches
India: W W W W W
Australia: L L W NR W
When and the place will the second semifinal be performed?
The second semifinal – between South Africa and New Zealand – might be performed in Lahore on Wednesday.
When and the place will the ultimate be performed?
The ultimate is scheduled to be performed in Lahore on March 9.
Ought to India attain the ultimate, nonetheless, the match might be switched to Dubai.
India squad:
Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Australia squad
Squad: Steve Smith (captain), Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, Tanveer Sangha.
