Champions Trophy: India reaches final

India defeated Australia by four wickets in Dubai to get to the Champions Trophy final on Tuesday.

The result means that India will play the winner of the other semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday, and Dubai will host the final on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 265, Virat Kohli played a typically composed knock of 84 after the early loss of captain Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill within the first eight overs.

Kohli, known for his mastery in such chases, seemed to be guiding his team toward victory.

After winning the group round with ease, India now faced their most difficult task to date. However, they ultimately triumphed with yet another assured victory, sustaining their hopes of winning a second world championship in eight months following their T20 triumph the previous year.

Australia’s innings probably decided the match. The result might have been different if they had scored an additional 20 or even 30 runs.

Following the early dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli assumed leadership and kept India on course.

With their inexperienced attack and the absence of important bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, Australia had a difficult task. Given that the pitch didn’t turn as much as expected, Steve Smith may come to regret choosing to bat first.

The crowd went quiet as the number of runs needed dropped to 24 off 20 balls. However, Hardik Pandya brightened the atmosphere by hitting Zampa with two straight sixes to secure the victory.

Indian Captain Rohit Sharma comments

India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, reflected on the match and said, “Until the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain.”  That’s the nature of this game. Halfway through, we felt it was a reasonable target, but we knew we’d need to bat really well, especially considering the pitch didn’t allow us to play freely.”

He added, “We were very, very clinical with the bat. Yes, we got the runs in the 48th over, but I thought we stayed calm and composed throughout the chase.”

According to Australia’s Captain Steve Smith , “I thought the bowlers did a really good job. Our spinners squeezed and enabled us to take the game deep. It was tough to rotate the strike at times, but I thought everyone did a good job tonight.”

Australian Cpatain’s effort was remarkable

Australia’s innings revolved around stand-in captain Steve Smith. He came in after Cooper Connolly, who hadn’t been part of the squad just 48 hours ago, got dismissed for a painful duck. Connolly struggled, missing six of the nine balls he faced.

Travis Head, who had played a match-winning knock of 137 in the 2023 World Cup final against India, looked to be in good form again. He struck five fours and two sixes in a quick 33-ball 39.

However, his innings came to an end when he chipped the second ball from spinner Varun Chakravarthy to long-off.

Australia was aiming for 320 when Steve Smith went down the track but missed a full toss from Mohammed Shami. Glenn Maxwell hit a six off Axar Patel, then attempted a defensive shot to a quicker delivery and got bowled.

Despite the setback, it was still a strong performance from Australia, who are wrapping up a long winter. This period included a memorable Test series win over India and a victory in Sri Lanka.