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Kohli’s 84 off 98 balls helped India chase down the target of 265 runs in Dubai and secure the first ICC knockout win over Australia since the 2011 ODI World Cup quarters.
India beat Australia by 5 wickets in Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal. (Picture Credit: AP)
Batting superstar Virat Kohli scored 84 runs from 98 balls on Tuesday (March 4) to help India beat Australia by 4 wickets in Dubai and book a place in the final of the Champions Trophy 2025. Kohli’s memorable show with the bat helped Rohit Sharma’s men chase down the target of 265 runs in 48.1 overs for the loss of six wickets.
During his stay at the crease, Kohli scored five fours. Even though Kohli missed out on a century, he did manage to break multiple batting records. He first went past Shikhar Dhawan’s tally of 701 runs to become India’s leading run scorer in the Champions Trophy and then broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 23 50+ scores in ICC ODI events.
Apart from Kohli, Shreyas Iyer scored 45 runs from 62 balls, KL Rahul hammered 42 runs, Hardik Pandya (28 from 24 balls) and captain Rohit Sharma made a contribution of 28 runs from 29 balls.
The win on Tuesday was India’s first success over Australia in ICC knockout matches since the five-wicket triumph in the quarterfinal match of the 2011 ODI World Cup played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In the final match of the Champions Trophy 2025, India will now face the winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.
India is the joint-most successful team in the Champions Trophy with two titles, and if Rohit Sharma’s men finish on top on Sunday as well, then India will become the first team to lift the Champions Trophy title three times.
Earlier in the first half of the match, Australia rode on fifties from Steve Smith and Alex Carey to post a total of 264 runs on the board for the loss of 10 wickets in 49.3 overs. Smith faced 96 balls during his stay at the crease and scored 73 runs, whereas Carey smacked 61 runs from just 57 balls.
For India, Mohammed Shami accounted for the dismissal of 3 Aussie batters in his quota of 10 overs, and two Aussie batters each were sent back to the pavilion by Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Aussies had high hopes from Travis Head in the match, and the left-handed opening batter, after getting a lifeline at 0 by Mohammed Shami, scored 39 runs from 33 balls. He smashed five fours and two sixes before being sent back to the dugout by Chakaravarthy on the second ball of the ninth over of the match.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
