GUWAHATI: India secured a place in the ICC Champions Trophy final on Tuesday, March 4, with a four-wicket victory over Australia, successfully chasing a target of 265 with 11 balls to spare. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a crucial 84 off 98 balls, supported by contributions from Shreyas Iyer (45) and KL Rahul (42 not out).
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After a shaky start, Rohit Sharma (28), Hardik Pandya (28), and Axar Patel (27) played pivotal roles in stabilising the innings. Kohli's innings provided the foundation, while Rahul guided the team over the line in the final overs. Pandya also provided a hot patch of streak in the buildup to the final overs, before departing at 28 runs.
Earlier, Australia was bowled out after losing their last four wickets in five overs, adding 29 runs in the process. Batting first in Dubai, the team managed the total after a series of contributions from key players but struggled to maintain momentum towards the end.
Travis Head provided an aggressive start, scoring 39 off 33 balls before being caught by Shubman Gill off Varun Chakravarthy. His opening partner, Cooper Connolly, who was brought into the side in place of Matt Short, had a brief stay at the crease, facing nine balls without scoring before being dismissed in the third over, caught by KL Rahul off Mohammed Shami.
Marnus Labuschagne contributed 29 runs off 36 balls before his dismissal, followed by Josh Inglis, who added 11. A crucial 50-run partnership between Alex Carey and captain Steve Smith helped stabilise the innings. However, after the dismissals of Smith and Glenn Maxwell, Carey attempted to accelerate the scoring but was eventually run out for 61 in the 48th over.
In the final overs, Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis fell quickly as Australia was bowled out with three balls remaining.
With this victory, India has advanced to the final, as the team seeks to win the competition for the third time, following earlier wins in 2002 and 2013.
