India secured their place in the ICC Champions Trophy final for the third time in a row, delivering a dominant performance against Australia with both batting and bowling. Virat Kohli spearheaded the run chase, surpassing 8000 ODI runs in chases, showcasing his signature style with strong support throughout the innings.
Kohli expertly navigated a challenging phase of the chase, ensuring India remained on course. He came to the crease early after Shubman Gill was dismissed in the fifth over. Rohit Sharma, despite being dropped twice, played aggressively, capitalizing on the powerplay. He scored 28 off 29 balls before being dismissed LBW to spinner Cooper Connolly. At 43/2 within eight overs, the match was balanced, with Australia seeking further breakthroughs. However, Kohli, alongside a determined Shreyas Iyer, steered India through a critical period. They skillfully countered Australia’s spinners, minimizing risks. Their 91-run partnership stabilized the chase and established a solid platform.
Kohli reached his 74th ODI half-century but was soon dropped. Connolly induced an edge, but Glenn Maxwell dropped a diving catch at short extra cover. Iyer, who had been steady, was bowled for 45 by a slider from Zampa. Kohli then partnered with Axar Patel, who quickly accelerated with a six off Tanveer Sangha. Their 44-run partnership off 50 balls brought India closer to the target and maintained a manageable run rate.
Despite the slow pitch, Australia managed to prolong the game with timely wickets. Axar was bowled by Nathan Ellis with a delivery that kept low. KL Rahul followed a similar approach, while Kohli held firm at the other end. Needing 65 runs in the last ten overs with six wickets in hand, Rahul hit a couple of boundaries, relieving pressure. He added another lofted shot off Adam Zampa, further shifting the advantage. However, in the same over, Kohli uncharacteristically attempted a lofted shot off Zampa and was caught at long-on. With the required run rate at one run per ball, Australia had a chance to regain control.
Hardik Pandya, however, found his rhythm, hitting three sixes against the leg-spinners, propelling India forward. Pandya’s 28 runs off 24 balls decisively swung the game in India’s favor, as they completed the chase with 11 balls remaining.
This victory capped off a similarly clinical bowling performance, where they restricted Australia to a manageable 264 runs after electing to bowl first. India maintained an unchanged team, fielding four frontline spinners. On a fresh pitch, and against an aggressive Australian batting lineup, they couldn’t dominate as much as in previous matches but still made a significant impact. Varun Chakravarthy struck with his first ball, dismissing Travis Head, who mistimed a lofted shot to long-off. Head’s innings was a mix of success and struggle in his 33-ball 39. He initially scored only one run off 11 balls before accelerating. Mohammed Shami’s round-the-wicket approach to both Australian openers, including Cooper Connolly, caused early problems. Head was even dropped on the first ball when Shami failed to hold onto a leading edge on his follow-through. However, the pacer dismissed Connolly, beating his outside edge repeatedly before inducing an edge that ended his brief innings.
With Head’s acceleration curtailed, India gained momentum before encountering Steven Smith. The Australian captain appeared the most confident batsman, signaling his intent with a lofted boundary off Axar Patel in his first over. He had some luck when an inside edge off Patel hit the stumps without dislodging the bails, and later Shami dropped a return catch. India kept the innings boundary-free for 50 balls with Smith and Labuschagne at the crease before Labuschagne broke the streak with a late cut. Labuschagne also attempted slog sweeps against the left-arm spinners, but his innings was cut short when Jadeja trapped him LBW, ending a 56-run partnership. Smith reached his fifty off 66 balls, his fifth in 7 ICC ODI knockout games, anchoring the innings. However, support dwindled as Josh Inglis chipped a simple catch to cover for 11.
Alex Carey’s arrival injected much-needed momentum into the innings. His 54-run partnership with Smith came at almost a run-a-ball rate through the middle overs, with the spinners facing the brunt of the attack. Carey was the aggressor and continued to propel Australia almost single-handedly. Smith’s innings ended when he missed a full toss from Shami and was dismissed for 73. Australia suffered another setback when Axar bowled Glenn Maxwell immediately after being hit for a boundary. But Carey took charge, reaching his fifty off just 48 balls and countering Kuldeep Yadav effectively. However, just as he was setting up for a big finish, he was run out by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer while attempting a second run. Carey’s dismissal as Australia’s eighth wicket with just under three overs remaining hampered their late surge, and they were bowled out for 264 in the final over.
Brief Scores: Australia 264 all out in 49.3 ov (Steven Smith 73, Alex Carey 61; Mohammed Shami 3-48) lost to India 267/6 (Virat Kohli 84, Shreyas Iyer 45, KL Rahul 42*) by 4 wickets
