Following India’s impressive win against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai, the cricket world celebrated Team India and Virat Kohli’s stellar batting performance. Kohli’s exceptional innings and consistent form in ODIs against Australia were crucial in India’s four-wicket victory. He guided India from a precarious 43/2 in a 265-run chase, setting the stage for Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul to finish the game decisively.
Jay Shah, Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), congratulated Team India on X, acknowledging their qualification for the Champions Trophy Final on March 9 in Dubai and praising their teamwork against a strong opponent.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar lauded Mohammed Shami and Virat Kohli for their outstanding contributions. Tendulkar noted Shami’s early impact and Virat’s exceptional performance, highlighting Kohli’s innings as particularly remarkable. He conveyed his best wishes to the team for the final on X.
Jasprit Bumrah, the prominent Indian fast bowler who couldn’t participate due to injury, succinctly described India’s dominant run with the word ‘Unstoppable’ on X.
Former Indian opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan also expressed their joy over India’s victory. Sehwag commended Virat Kohli for consistently performing in ICC tournaments and pointed out that this is India’s third ICC final in just 15 months. He celebrated Kohli’s match-winning ability and India’s repeated success in reaching major finals on X.
Shikhar Dhawan specifically praised KL Rahul’s match-winning six, calling it unforgettable. He lauded Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya’s exceptional performances and encouraged the team to secure one more win to bring the Champions Trophy home, aiming for an unforgettable victory on X.
Yuvraj Singh, India’s World Cup-winning all-rounder, shared his excitement on X, celebrating India reaching the final. He acknowledged the bowlers’ role, led by Shami, in restricting Australia, and praised the crucial partnerships of Virat Kohli with Shreyas Iyer, followed by KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, for sealing the victory. He urged the team to go for glory in the final.
Michael Vaughan, former England captain, also congratulated Team India, confidently predicting India would win the trophy. He emphasized India’s impressive bench strength, suggesting they could field a second equally competitive team. He recognized Australia’s strong challenge despite missing key players but firmly stated his belief in India’s victory in the Champions Trophy 2025 on X.
In the match recap, Australia chose to bat first after winning the toss. After an early wicket, Travis Head and Steve Smith formed a 50-run partnership. Smith continued to build innings with half-century partnerships alongside Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey. Carey’s innings lasted until the 48th over before being dismissed by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer.
Australia was bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs. Shami was India’s leading bowler with 3/48, supported by Varun Chakravarthy (2/49) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/40) with their spin bowling. Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya each took a wicket.
During India’s chase, they faced early setbacks, losing Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, falling to 43/2. A vital 91-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer stabilized the innings. Kohli also contributed in a 44-run stand with Axar Patel and a 47-run partnership with KL Rahul.
Hardik Pandya played a quickfire innings of 28 runs, helping India secure the win, reaching 267/6 in 48.1 overs.
Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa were Australia’s top bowlers, each taking 2 wickets for 48 and 60 runs, respectively.
