IND vs AUS Match Preview- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Semifinal 1

India and Australia will be up against each other in the first semifinal of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The game will be played on Tuesday (March 4) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

With a place in the final at stake, the stage is perfectly set for another cracking contest between India and Australia. The upcoming game is the first ODI between the two teams since the World Cup final in 2023. Australia had won that game and will be fancying their chances of breaking the Indian hearts once again.

India, on the other hand, will be desperate to avenge that loss by dumping Australia out of the tournament. So, as Australia and India gear up for the game, here is the IND vs AUS match preview.

IND vs AUS Match Preview- ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Semifinal 1:

IND vs AUS, Date and Venue:

The upcoming IND vs AUS match will be played on Tuesday (March 4) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. The match will be played from 02:30 PM (IST).

Squads:

India:

Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar PatelKL Rahul (W), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washingon Sundar Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

Australia:

Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Tanveer Sangha

IND vs AUS key battles:

Travis Head vs Mohammed Shami:

Travis Head will be a big threat for Team India. The left-handed batsman has proved to be India’s Achilles’ heel in recent times and will be eyeing another impactful knock against the Men in Blue. The last time Head faced India in an ODI, it was the World Cup final and he had scored a match-winning century.

India will be well aware of the danger and would be keen to get his wicket as early as possible. The onus will be on India’s pace spearhead Mohammed Shami to get the huge wicket. Shami will be keen to strike with the new ball and dismiss Head to give India a good start.

Rohit Sharma vs Ben Dwarshuis:

India captain Rohit Sharma will be keen to lead the team from the front. He is eyeing his second ICC trophy as a captain and will also have a score to settle with Australia. Under his captaincy, India lost the World Cup final against Australia in 2023 and he would be desperate to return the favour by dumping the world champions out of the ongoing tournament.

Rohit has looked in good touch in recent times but has not managed to score big in the Champions Trophy so far. He will be eyeing a big score against Australia and the latter will be hoping that their left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis dismisses Rohit as early as possible. Dwarshuis has picked up in 2 games so far and will be eyeing another impactful outing.

Shreyas Iyer vs Adam Zampa:

Shreyas Iyer has been one of India’s most reliable batters in ODIs in recent times. On the slow surface of Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he has been a standout performer. Iyer scored half-centuries in his last two outings and will be looking to score big against Australia as well.

Iyer can turn out to be the difference in the game and Australia will be hoping that their spin spearhead Adam Zampa gets his wicket as early as possible.

IND vs AUS Key Players:

IND – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy will be the key players for India.

OUT OF – Travis Head, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell and Ben Dwarshuis will be the key players for Australia.

IND vs AUS Weather And Pitch Report:

The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be slow and batsmen are likely to struggle. No team has managed to reach the 250-run mark at the venue in the ongoing tournament so far. The upcoming game is also unlikely to be a high-scoring game.

Conclusion:

The stage is set for yet another memorable IND vs AUS game. The game is worthy of a final and it promises to be a thrilling contest.