YAYYYYYY! No more “khada hu aaj bhi wahi” this time out as Rohit Sharma and Co. moved into the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with our heads held high! 💙🎶

The Men in Blue turned up the heat in Dubai & aced the chase courtesy of another Virat Kohli masterclass. Moreover, it was also the highest target successfully chased down in an ICC ODI competition knockout fixture against Australia.

Here’s how the battle of the heavyweights unfolded at the crucial juncture of the tournament…

No डोक्याला शॉट today!

The match report MUST begin like this! 👊

Travis Head, for some weird reason, loves scoring against Team India and once again, looked dangerous with free-flowing boundaries until…

…Varun Chakaravarthy stepped up to dismiss him, much to the joy of 1.4 billion Indians! 🤩 The Southpaw departed after amassing a 33-ball 39, which included five fours and a maximum.

Paltan, aaj khush toh bohot hoge tum!!!

Jadeja? Wickets versus Aussies? YESSS

Be it Tests, ODIs or T20Is, Jaddu just adores playing Australia and today’s game was no different.

The left-arm spinner first got the better of Marnus Labuschagne (29 off 36 balls) in the 23rd over, breaking his 56-run partnership with Steve Smith. 👏 

Four overs later, Josh Inglis fell for 11 as the Australian scoreboard read 144/4.

Smith, Carey record fifties

While skipper Steve Smith’s 73 helped his side take control, Alex Carey’s 61 guided Australia to a respectable total of 264/10, given the slow nature of the pitch.

Along the way, the quartet of Shami, Axar, Varun, and Hardik struck at key moments, with Shami bhau leading the charge with 3/48.

Kohli, Iyer at it… YET AGAIN!

Following आपला RO’s routine 🔥 start, the two middle-order batters took the onus to up the ante, combining brilliantly for a 91-run stand.

In the process, Virat Kohli completed a terrific 84-run knock in addition to Shreyas Iyer’s mature 45 off 62 balls.

At the fall of Iyer’s wicket, the Indian cricket team stood at 134/3 in 26.2 overs.

KL-inical innings & HP’s finishing touches

Coming in at number 6, KL Rahul ably supported Virat Kohli and stitched a vital 47-run partnership before the latter departed.

Shouldering the responsibility, KL Rahul (42* off 34) and Hardik Pandya (28 off 24) guided the team through a challenging phase of the run chase.

Furthermore, it looked as if HP pre-meditated his six-hitting shots before stepping onto the field, dealing only in rockets!!! 🚀

#ICYMI, he launched one of his jaw-dropping sixes 106m into the stands, leaving the fans spellbound! 🤯

Thanks to his exploits, the 2013 champions marched into the final, which will be played on Sunday, March 9. 🏆 They will face either South Africa or New Zealand, who will lock horns in the other semi-final tomorrow.

RO opines on the thrilling victory

The post-match presentation saw the Team India captain reveal his thoughts on the classic match-up while praising an all-round effort from the guys! 🗣️

“Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. At the halfway stage, we felt like it's a reasonable score. The nature of the pitch doesn't allow you to play your shots. We were clinical with the bat. We were calm and composed in our chase.

“It's about playing good cricket. There are a lot of experienced guys. That's something I wanted to have - six bowling options and at the same time get that batting depth as well. Credit goes to everyone who was involved in making the team. He's done it for so many years. When we were batting, we were calm. Those shots in the end by Hardik were crucial,” said Rohit Sharma.

 

Brief scores: Australia 264/10 in 49.3 overs (Steve Smith 73; Mohd. Shami 3/48) lost to India 267/6 in 48.1 overs (Virat Kohli 84; Nathan Ellis 2/49) by four wickets.