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India have scores to settle after Australia clinched the ODI World Cup 2023 final to shush the 1,30,000-strong crowd in Ahmedabad. Undefeated in the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit Sharma and his troops are well poised to come out on top this time around but when it comes to crunch games, count the temperamentally solid Aussies out at your own peril.
Two of their games were washed out though so their winnability is yet to be properly scrutinized. They are also missing the services of as many as five key players. Should be a cracker of a contest, nonetheless!
Hardik’s triplet of sixes had brought India within sniffing distance of victory and Rahul, who scored a valuable 42 off 34 balls to apply the finishing touches to the endeavour, deposits Maxwell over mid-wicket to wrap up a special win that kind of avenges the ODI World Cup 2023 heartbreak inflicted by Australia.
Rahul lets out a roar and gives Jadeja a bear hug. The Indians are overjoyed. Another entry into the summit clash for the powerhouses in the last few years.
Hardik backed himself to clear the rope in spite of the dots he was facing. His bat swing is astonishingly good and Zampa has borne the brunt of it as he missed his length twice in that over. Just 12 needed off 18 now and Indian fans would be breathing a lot easier.
Ellis has been a standout performer for Australia today along with Zampa. What an incredible over under pressure! A solitary run off it as India wobble a bit towards the back end.
No matter which team wins ultimately, but Australia deserve plaudits for stretching the game so far.
There’s the biggie! Tanveer Sangha overpitches and Hardik Pandya pounces. Clears his front leg and bludgeons the living daylights out of it for a 106m six. The dots were adding up, the release shot was around the corner. Naive from Sangha to give the penultimate delivery so much loop against a proven hitter.
Rahul was serving the mantle of the chief aggressor and there was no need for Kohli to follow suit. A six had already been fetched from the over and the wily Zampa was soon going to exhaust his quota. He picked the flighted googly and hit it straight down the throat of long-on. Very unlike Kohli this.
The onus is now on Rahul and Hardik to make sure there are no late hiccups on their way to the target.
Rahul is taking the pressure off anchor Kohli. He gives Ben Dwarshuis the charge and slams him over mid-on. The idea is that Rahul will up the ante so that Kohli can see the chase through.
Virat Kohli’s batting approach revolves around healthy strike rotation and today we’ve been treated to an exhibition in that regard. Steady accumulation was the need of the hour when India had their cart toppled by the departure of the openers.
The experienced campaigner has absorbed the pressure and taken India closer to the finish line with others batting around him.
Axar Patel’s run-a-ball knock is ended by Ellis, who earns a deserved wicket. Picked the wrong length to play the pull. A bit of premeditation involved there, it seems.
With the left-hander dismissed, Smith brings back the left-arm spinner as KL Rahul arrives to accompany his senior pro.
Austraia’s catching has been quite sloppy tonight but the bowlers are doing their level best to make sure India do not run away with the game. Maxwell of all people shelled a leading edge from Kohli right after he notched up his fifty.
Still, Adam Zampa slides a darter through Iyer’s flash to keep Australia’s hopes alive. Despite that wicket, India appear in control since the required rate is only five per over and Kohli is looking determined to see the chase through.
He’s attacked the stumps, messed up with the control percentage of Virat Kohli and even found movement on occasions in what has been an unrelenting new-ball spell from Ellis. Rohit did come hard at him but he’s continued to hit solid lines and lengths.
It is just a matter of a couple of robust partnerships for India as they set their sights at an achievable target. Kohli and Iyer are in the midst of one as India stabilize their ship after the successive blows.
How the tables turn! India had blazed off the blocks in the chase but Australia have come storming back into the contest. Connolly, the culprit of that missed opportunity, makes amends for his folly by trapping Rohit plumb. Proves to be an inspired bowling change by Smith. The Indian skipper burns a review.
Indian openers back in the hut as Ben Dwarshuis and Cooper Connolly strike for Australia in the powerplay.#ChampionsTrophy #INDvAUS ✍️:https://t.co/hFrI2t8AC9 pic.twitter.com/W43VQRCfos
— ICC (@ICC) March 4, 2025
Australia are known for their tenacity and they are well and truly creating chances in abundance. While Rohit was blessed to have escaped, Shubman Gill isn’t. The lemon cut, which materialized due to his lack of feet movement, meets the stumps. It has been an eventful phase of play and India have lost their young gun.
Marnus Labuschagne sprints leftwards from mid-off to try and catch the miscued lofted drive from Rohit and he makes good ground by running 25m. However, unlike Travis Head in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, he isn’t able to hang on.
Two reprieves for the Indian captain early on and India must be thanking the heavens. They need him in the middle because it’s a pitch suited for his ebullient strokeplay. The degree of turn is way less as compared to the last fixture and the ball is coming onto the bat nicely.
Australia have started poorly in the tight defence. Rohit is off to a flier and he has been handed an early life as well, with Cooper Connolly dropping a low catch at backward point. That would be considered a regulation take at this level.
Meanwhile, switch tabs to read our feature on India’s last group game, versus New Zealand. It was a much-needed learning experience for Rohit Sharma and his men, who were up until that point oblivious to the challenges of batting first and bowling under lights in the Champions Trophy 2025.
The run-out of Carey at an inopportune time has robbed Australia of some precious runs but credit to India for pulling things back so admirably towards the back end.
At 198/4 in the 37th over, Australia were primed for a total in excess of 270. A clinical display with the ball from India and they were sharp with their groundwork to keep the pressure on.
Varun Chakravarthy finishes with 2/49 as Ben Dwarshuis becomes his second victim, having arrested the prized scalp of Travis Head in his first over. India have been pretty decent in the field today, save for those two catch drops by Shami, and Shreyas Iyer embellishes their performance with a direct hit from the deep to catch the well-set Carey out of his ground. He pulled backward of square and wanted to retain the strike but Iyer weaves magic with his rocket arm.
Carey is releasing the pressure well with his trademark shots every now and then even as India hustle hard to constrict the Aussies. Approaching fifty now and the men in yellow need a finishing kick from the keeper-bat. If Carey manages to exist in the middle till the very end they can easily cross 280 because 10 overs remain in the innings.
Axar was hammered over mid-wicket for a six by Glenn Maxwell but the left-arm spinner is a clever operator. Sticks to his guns and keeps attacking the stumps. Zips it underneath Maxwell’s iffy swipe and the stumps are shattered.
These two wickets have really opened up the game as India might now fancy bundling Australia out for 260 odd whereas Australia were cruising at 195/4 in 36 overs.
Shami with an extremely important wicket. Smith curses himself as he misses a dispatchable low full-toss. He advances and makes room to drive, the ball hits the middle-stump halfway up. He was aiming to go over extra-cover and can’t lay bat on ball.
Australia were adamant to maximise these last three-odd overs before an extra fielder reverts to the outfield. There was a ton for the taking but he departs for a well-paced 73. Captain’s knock!
Wickets are tumbling around him but Steve Smith is holding the innings together proficiently. He’s been busy at the crease and hasn’t shied away from taking the aerial route to make sure the masterful Indian spinners do not settle into a rhythm.
Josh Inglis suffered a soft dismissal as he chipped a backfoot drive to Virat Kohli at catching cover, but Smith is keeping the momentum intact as he brings up his half-century. Alex Carey is offering the lynchpin able support from the other end.
India’s spin beehive in the last game in Dubai, against New Zealand, showed a concentration at the stumps and the same tactic has borne fruit for Jadeja. He spun a few balls big in the previous overs and that sows the seed of doubt into the mind of the batters. That’s what makes him such a potent bowler.
Labuschagne anticipates a hint of turn but there isn’t any. Good length, skids on after pitching, Labuschagne goes on the back foot to tuck around the corner and misses, rapped on the pads and umpire Richard Illingworth raises the finger.
Axar Patel is slog swept by Labuschagne but the connection is feeble due to the bounce the tall left-arm spinner extracts. The dependable No.3 batter survives though as the top edge lands between the converging deep square leg and long-on fielders.
However, Labuschagne connects the next one better as the fifty stand comes up. Shortly thereafter, Shami is brought back into the attack and he puts another return catch down in the follow through as Smith attempts a hard hit down the ground off a full delivery.
Australia are enjoying the rub of the green. An inside edge from Marnus Labuschagne’s bat almost crashed into the stumps, a run-out chance was missed by Varun at short fine leg and the luckiest of the lot was a ricochet from Steve Smith’s batting rolling onto the stumps but not disturbing the bails. They must make the strokes of fortune count.
The on-song Varun Chakravarthy has netted the big fish as Head goes after him without taking a look at what the mystery spinner has got in store. The haste brings about his downfall, but that’s the brand of cricket he plays to be fair. Shubman Gill with a good running catch at long-off as India heave a sigh of relief.
India’s performance in the group stage has been phenomenal, but with Australia’s history in big matches, it’s still hard to call a favorite for the final. That Rahul knock was massive, and the team’s momentum is surely something Australia will have to contend with.