Credit: BCCI
India are set to play the semi-final of another ICC event as they will face Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The match will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 4. India continued their great form in the ICC tournaments and ended up at the top of the points table in group A with three back-to-back wins.
Now, India will aim to avenge the 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat against Australia and enter their third consecutive ICC final in the last two years. In the following listicle, we will have a look at India’s probable playing XI for the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia.
India Probable Playing XI vs Australia:
Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill
India are likely to go with the same opening pair of skipper Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Shubman Gill. Rohit hasn’t been able to get a big knock in the tournament but will look to step up in the semi-final. On the other hand, Gill has looked in great touch in his first Champions Trophy and has scored one hundred and a fifty in three matches so far. He will aim to get another big knock in the semi-final.
Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul
In the middle-order, India have Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Iyer is currently India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament while Kohli has also showed great form with a hundred against Pakistan. However, KL Rahul hasn’t played a big knock so far, and will look to get his form back in the semi-final.
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja
India have a strong all-round set up with the likes of Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Axar and Hardik turned out to be great batters in the last 10-15 overs, while Jadeja has the ability to turn the match around with his all-round abilities.
Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
In the bowling line up, Mohammed Shami will be seen playing as a lone fast bowler with Hardik Pandya as a second option as a pacer. Apart from that, spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are likely to take charge in the semi-final against Australia.
