On Tuesday, March 4, India (IND) and Australia (AUS) will play in the Champions Trophy 2025’s first semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Australia came in second place in Group B, while India won Group A.
India is coming off three straight victories. They defeated Bangladesh by six wickets to get things started. They played Pakistan in their second match. With a convincing run-chase, the Men in Blue maintained their supremacy over their fiercest enemies. India showed off their spin-bowling reserves in the match against the Kiwis, winning by 44 runs.
However, Australia just needed to win one game to advance. In their opening match of the competition, they defeated England by five wickets after chasing down a challenging 352-run mark. Without a ball being bowled, the match against South Africa that followed was called off. Afghanistan was the opponent in Australia’s most recent league match. Before the weather intervened, the game could only be played with 62.5 overs.
Here are the top three player battles to watch out for in India vs Australia, semifinal 1 of Champions Trophy 2025:
1. Kuldeep Yadav vs Glenn Maxwell
Any cricketing face-off becomes all the more riveting with the involvement of a wrist-spinner and an explosive batter. The India-Australia rivalry serves up exactly that with Kuldeep Yadav and Glenn Maxwell being a matchup to be eager about. Kuldeep always seems to have a hidden trick up his sleeve. The subtle variations he unleahes every now and then make him a potent threat at any stage of the game. The power-packed Maxwell needs no introduction. On his day, everyone knows how lethal he can be.
The wily left-armer has gotten rid of Maxwell thrice when it comes to ODIs between the two cricketing nations. Meanwhile, Maxwell has accumulated 99 runs in the 69 deliveries faced. While it may seem that Maxwell holds the upper hand against Kuldeep, Dubai’s conditions might make it a little challenging for Maxwell to score as freely as he has against the southpaw in the past. Their tussle against each other during the middle phase is all set to be a gripping one.
2. Mohammed Shami vs Steve Smith
Mohammed Shami has slowly but surely found his groove after making his comeback to international cricket. Staging his return for the Indian side in the recently-concluded white-ball series against England, Shami has seemed to rediscover his touch. On the other hand, Steve Smith has pretty much been the linchpin of the Australian batting lineup. Assuming the No. 3 role, the incumbent skipper will be expected to neutralise Shami’s venom with the new ball, if needed.
Both the players are understandably key to their respective teams. There is a high likelihood of the two players facing off against each other in the scenario of an early wicket falling. Smith has scored at a rate of more than a-run-a-ball, piling up 118 runs off 111 deliveries. The right-arm quick has got the better of Smith on four separate occasions. Smith’s average and strike rate against Shami is 29.50 and 106.30, respectively.
3. Virat Kohli vs Adam Zampa
The showdown between Virat Kohli and Adam Zampa is poised to be one to look out for. Kohli is known to be a big-match player and has routinely stepped up to the challenge in the past. However, Zampa is not someone to be taken lightly. What is set to make this battle more intriguing is Kohli’s recent concerns against leg-spin.
Zampa has dismissed Kohli five times in the 245 deliveries bowled in the 50-over format so far. The ace Indian batter has registered 264 runs while averaging 52.80, at a strike rate of 107.75. With the game being played in Dubai, the wily leg-spinner could be expected to extract quite some purchase. Hence, it will be an interesting watch with respect to how Kohli counters the threat.
India
