-By ArdorComm News Network
March 5, 2025
India 267 for 6 (Kohli 84, Iyer 45, Rahul 42*, Ellis 2-49, Zampa 2-60) beat Australia 264 (Smith 73, Carey 61, Shami 3-48, Jadeja 2-40, Varun 2-49) by five wickets.
Dubai will host the Champions Trophy final, and India will be there after overcoming a resilient Australian side in an intense semi-final. Though Australia had their moments, India’s class and composure ultimately secured their victory.
Virat Kohli, a symbol of consistency, played a pivotal role once again. Having earlier crafted a chase-masterclass against Pakistan, he looked set for another century before an unexpected shot ended his innings at 84. However, by then, he had surpassed 8000 runs in ODI chases and had left India requiring only 40 off 44 balls.
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya finished the job efficiently, with Rahul sealing the victory in style with a six over long-on off Glenn Maxwell. Despite Australia hitting more boundaries (20 fours and eight sixes) than India (16 fours and seven sixes), India’s game plan revolved around calculated aggression and smart running between the wickets. They faced just 124 dot balls compared to Australia’s 153 and ran 158 of their runs, significantly more than Australia’s 129.
India’s four-spinner strategy proved effective on a slow and low pitch. While the surface didn’t offer extravagant turn, the Indian spinners controlled the game better than their Australian counterparts, maintaining pressure by attacking the stumps and restricting scoring areas. Their collective dot-ball percentage stood at 50%, whereas Australia’s was just over 39%.
Australia showed promise at multiple junctures. Choosing to bat first, they eyed a total of 300, with three key batters threatening to turn the game in their favor. However, all three fell just as they seemed to be taking control.
Source: ESPN