Indian Cricket Team (ICT), led by Hitman Rohit Sharma, is through to the Champions Trophy Finals. India beat Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Australian Captain Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bat first. Australian opener Head started slowly, but he changed the gear, creating tension for Indian bowlers.
Head’s fiery knock reminded ICT fans of his century against India in the ODI WC Final 2023. However, Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Head in his first ball and provided a huge relief. Steve Smith played according to the situation and scored 73 runs before Shami got the better of him. When Alex Carey started looking dangerous, Shreyas Iyer dismissed him with a brilliant direct hit at the stumps. Australia was bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs.
India’s innings didn’t start well, as opener Shubman Gill got out after scoring just 8 runs. Despite receiving two lives, Rohit Sharma got dismissed for 28 runs, and his wicket put India in a tricky situation. But King Kohli once again rose to the occasion and anchored the run chase with great calm and composure. Virat has once again shown the world how to perform when there is pressure and put India in the driver’s seat before getting out to Zampa at a score of 84.
Kohli mainly focused on singles and rotated the strike, putting pressure on Australian bowlers. His partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (45), Axar Patel (27), and KL Rahul (42*) were vital to India’s victory. Though Virat Kohli missed out on the well-deserved century, Hardik Pandya (28) and KL Rahul completed the job. For his splendid knock, Kohli was awarded the “Player Of The Match.” India will meet the winner of semi-final 2 (South Africa vs. New Zealand) in the finals on March 9.