IND vs AUS Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final Today : Who will win ?

The much-awaited match between India and Australia to be held today is the first semi-final of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This is the first time the two teams meet in an ICC knockout contest since the 2023 World Cup final when Australia won. 

While proceeding to semi-finals, all group matches have been won by India without deviation. The Indian spinners have made best use of the slow Dubai pitches. In their last match against New Zealand, Indian spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel shared nine wickets; Chakravarthy's was the pick of the lot with 5-42. Such control has led to speculation about the possibility of India fielding four spinners against Australia. Captain Rohit Sharma finds it tempting; however, this will depend on a final check on the pitch. 

Challenges Faced by Australia

A severe blow to Australia has been the absence of key bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, all due to injuries. Yet the team still demonstrated resilience, with an outstanding performance in this context when they chased down 352 against England. In the opinion of captain Steve Smith, counteracting India's outstanding spin is a must; therefore, middle-over batting strategies will be central to this. To further enhance its spin options, Australia has drafted left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly as a replacement for the injured Matthew Short. 

The Venue

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has been India's home right through the tournament since there was no travel to Pakistan due to political tensions. Such consistency has allowed India to acclimatize to the conditions. Well aware of this factor, Australia arrived in Dubai early, acclimatizing and preparing themselves. Smith believes this aspect is vital so as to acquire an understanding to the pitch conditions. 

Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer.