India defeated Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Tuesday. Virat Kohli led the chase with 84 runs, helping India reach the 265-run target with 11 balls to spare. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel added crucial runs, while KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya finished the game. As a result, Kohli won the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance.

India Reaches Third Straight Champions Trophy Final

Notably, India qualified for their third consecutive Champions Trophy final. They had previously reached the title match in 2013 and 2017. Furthermore, India dominated the group stage, winning all three matches. With this victory, they entered the final undefeated, marking their third straight ICC tournament final without a loss.

India Awaits Their Final Opponent

Looking ahead, the second semi-final will take place on 5 March in Lahore, Pakistan. South Africa will face New Zealand, and the winner will play India in the final on 9 March.

India vs Australia: Semi-Final Recap

At the start of the chase, India struggled. Shubman Gill (8) and captain Rohit Sharma (28) fell within the first eight overs. However, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings with a 91-run partnership. Eventually, Iyer scored 45 runs off 62 balls before Adam Zampa dismissed him in the 27th over. Afterward, Axar Patel (27 off 30) supported Kohli, but Australia continued taking wickets. In the 43rd over, Zampa dismissed Kohli, giving Australia hope. Nevertheless, KL Rahul (42* off 34) and Hardik Pandya (28 off 24) kept India in control. Although Pandya fell to Nathan Ellis in the 48th over, Ravindra Jadeja (2* off 1) joined Rahul to seal the win in the 49th over.

Australia’s Innings

Earlier, Australia won the toss and chose to bat. Steve Smith and Alex Carey helped them reach 264 runs. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami led India's bowling attack, taking three wickets for 48 runs. Additionally, Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each.