Dubai, Mar 4: The two heavyweights in cricket, India and Australia, will clash in the first semi-final of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday, where both teams will aim to secure their places for the title clash on Sunday.
Once again, the knockout stage of an ICC tournament sets the stage for high drama, fireworks, and thrilling cricket. India's clash with Australia is no exception, as both teams bring history, rivalry, and recent form into the mix.
There's no question the Indians will have 2023 on their mind... and perhaps even the recent Border-Gavaskar series played down under.
One thing that can't be questioned is Australia's capacity to rise to the challenge in the biggest games, even without the presence of several key contributors.
Recent form:
India: It's hard to fault India's form after their win over New Zealand, which capped off a perfect group stage, winning all three in Dubai. Having those games and time to adjust to the Dubai conditions will also hold them in good stead, with India to unleash potentially up to four spinners good enough to make dangerous inroads.
Australia: Two of the Aussies' three Champions Trophy games have been rain-affected, including one wholly abandoned. But they were on track to cruise to an impressive victory last start against Afghanistan before rain ended proceedings. They started the tournament with an impressive win over England that involved a mammoth run chase.
Players in focus:
India: Kuldeep Yadav
Given India's well-publicised spin bowling bullpen, Kuldeep is a prominent player to highlight. He's taken multiple wickets in two of India's three group stage games and will have all the confidence he needs to hit his spots in the middle overs once the ball stops swinging. Kuldeep's 3/40 against Pakistan helped restrict their rivals to 241 all out, which was chased down comfortably by India's batting lineup.
Australia: Adam Zampa
Unsurprisingly, Australia's spin bowlers will need to step up in Dubai. The XI the Aussies opt for will be fascinating, as to whether they stick to three quicks or deploy an additional slow bowling option. Either way, Australia will need to maximise their returns from Zampa's 10 overs. By his own admission, the 32-year-old leg spinner hasn't been at his best in the Champions Trophy. So this is his time to shine.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. (ANI)

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