India’s path to the Champions Trophy final surfaced via a well-fought semi-final win over the Australians. Guided by their stronger batting line-up, with the disciplined performance of the bowlers, especially the spinners, who controlled the mid-overs, it was a brilliant performance by India. Having completed a smooth 84 runs and put India near winning take-off, Virat Kohli was a star among players. While he could not get to one of his signature bustling centuries, his innings brought India down to needing only 33 runs off 44 balls when he was dismissed.
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya carried India over the finishing line, and Rahul won the game with a big six. There were moments for Australia with Travis Head, especially going after being dropped early, and at a speedy 39 off 32, he looked good. With Smith finishing with a decent supporting innings of 73, both were dismissed when they seemed set to pile on runs big.
A further collateral of Glenn Maxwell snapped any momentum left from Australia’s side. A blazing effort from Alex Carey saw him pile on 61 runs, but it was not enough for Australia before they were bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs. Challenging as the chase was for India before Kohli took charge, Shubman Gill fell for little. Rohit Sharma, who looked aggressive, finally fell cheaply. Kohli first formed an alliance of 91 runs with Shreyas Iyer, after which he was culled too unexpectedly, but with Rahul and Axar Patel still waiting in the dugout, India fell under the target with a healthy number of balls to spare. Spinners of India, especially Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja, kept up the pressure throughout, and the team’s superior running between the wickets-158 runs to Australia’s 129-proved crucial. Australia tried hard, yet at decisive moments when it required seizing control, indecisiveness allowed India to display controlled and composed cricket, advancing into the final on account of their outstanding all-round strength.
Now India waits for the winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa in Dubai to fight for the title on 9th March.
