"2023 WC revenge taken!" Fans react as India beat Australia in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals
India defeated Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final of ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
India defeated Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final of ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which was played on Tuesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The Men in Blue will now face the winners of the second semi-final, which will be played between South Africa and New Zealand on March 5, in the final of the tournament on March 9 in Dubai.
Batting first, Australia maintained a good run rate, but lost wickets at regular intervals. They got off to a flying start with Travis Head riding his luck to help the team cross the 60-run mark in the powerplay.
Steve Smith held one end with his gritty 73-run knock. He received solid support from Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey, who chipped in with 29 and 61 runs respectively helping the team reach a challenging total of 264 runs.
In reply, India lost openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma early, slipping to 43/2 inside the batting powerplay. Kohli and Iyer then stitched a crucial 91-run stand for the third wicket to bring India in control.
After Iyer’s dismissal, Kohli received support from Axar Patel in a 44-run stand for the fourth wicket. Patel played his shots and scored 27 off 30 balls to increase the run rate.
The finishing touche was then provided by wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. The two contributed 42 and 28 runs and ensured Australia had no chance to come back after Virat Kohli’s wicket in the 43rd over.
Notably, this was the first time the two teams faced off in an ODI after their clash in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Australia had shattered the dreams of 140 crore Indians on that occasion by outplaying the home team in a six-wicket win.
Following the Men in Blue’s victory in the semi-final clash, fans have rejoiced and shared their emotions across social media.
Here’s how cricketing fraternity reacted to India’s four wicket triumph against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals
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