Champions ODI Cup 2025

1st Semi-Final: IND vs AUS

Preview

India and Australia are two of the most successful cricket teams. They are the only sides with two Champions Cup titles each. On March 4, the two teams will play the first Semi-Final of the Champions Cup ODI 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

While the Men in Blue topped Group A after winning all three games, the Kangaroos advanced to the Semi-final stage by completing just one full game, with the other two being affected by rain. 

Previously, India defeated New Zealand in the last group stage match on Sunday, March 2, ending on top of the leaderboards with three wins in as many games. While their batting order appears remarkable, as every player fulfills their role almost flawlessly, selecting the bowling lineup for this marquee match is challenging. 

Given the impressive performance of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy against the Kiwis on his Champions Cup debut, where he delivered a record-breaking five-wicket haul, it seems unlikely that India will omit him from the crucial game against Australia. The game will take place on a dry Dubai pitch that has been favourable for the spinners so far.

If the management opts to include either Harshit Rana or Arshdeep Singh, one of Kuldeep Yadav or the spin-bowling all-rounders will have to sit out.

Conversely, the Australians are missing their formidable trio of bowlers - Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood - along with all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Matt Short. They have been replaced with several newcomers stepping in to fill their shoes. Nevertheless, they have not upset the management so far.

In their only completed match this tournament, Australia successfully chased down 352 runs against England in Lahore, marking the highest successful run chase in the tournament's history.

Though Australia has the upper hand in their overall ODI record against India, winning 84 out of 151 matches compared to India’s 57, the Men in Blue have not lost to Australia in this competition, having triumphed twice (in 1998 and 2000). The last encounter between the star-studded sides in this tournament was back in 2009, when rain disrupted the match.

Additionally, the previous time India defeated Australia in an International 50-over knockout event was 14 years ago, during the 2011 World ODI Series, when India won the title after a 28-year wait under MS Dhoni's leadership.

Match Details

Match: IND vs AUS, Semi Final 1, Champions Cup ODI 2025

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Time: 02:30 PM

Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Pitch and Weather Report

The ground at the Dubai International Stadium is balanced for both the batting and bowling departments. The skipper who wins the toss will select the batting first. The pitch will assist the seamers at the initial stage of the match. The spinners will come in handy in the middle overs. This ground is more batting-friendly, and the batters will play their role in every portion of the game. Therefore, we are certainly going to witness a high-scoring match, with both sides having impactful power hitters. 

The weather forecast for the matchday on 4th March 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be sunny with patches of clouds surrounding the sky. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be 28 and 22 degrees Celsius, with 32% humidity and a 14 kmph wind rate.

IND vs AUS Squads

IND: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (wk), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana

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

IND vs AUS Probable Playing XIs

IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

AUS: Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa

Match Prediction

India boasts a stronger squad overall, featuring a more robust batting lineup with all regular players available. In contrast, Australia lacks their key bowlers for this tournament and is a squad with many new talents. Hence, India will be favoured in our match prediction.

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