AUS Vs IND: Australian batters Steve Smith and Alex Carey score impressive fifties to guide their side to an impressive total against Indian in semi-final 1 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
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The reigning ODI World Champions end their innings at 264, as India need 265 runs to progress into the final of the tournament. India have won the 2013 edition, and ended up as runners-up in the 2017 edition. If Rohit Sharma's men win today, this will mark a hat-trick of Final appearances for India in Champions Trophy.
Australia's Innings In A Nutshell
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in Dubai. However, the side were off to a shaky start, as Cooper Connolly failed to trouble the scorers on his Champions Tropnhy debut. Early movement and a double-paced surface made it hard for Australia to tackle Mohammad Shami, but Travis Head's brilliance allowed Australia to gain much-needed momentum inside the batting powerplay.
Travis Head's powerful knock was cut short by Varun Chakravarthy on 39, as Australia lost both their openers on the score of 54. The Aussies made sure they don't lose wickets at constant intervals, and their middle-order formed small partnerships to ensure the smooth progress towards a competitive score.
The likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis got off to a start, but failed to convert them into big knocks with their soft dismissals to Ravindra Jadeja.
Steve Smith has time-and-time again come off good against India across ODI's and Tests, and with his team needing him the most, the 'Smudge' delivered, as his excellent 73-run knock not only guided Australia out of trouble, but also ensured that they reach a competitive total, in-order to present their bowlers with something good to defend.
Alex Carey, who has remained highly underrated over the years, proved his worth once again, as his 61-run knock complemented the efforts of Steve Smith, as Australia managed to cross the 250-run mark on a difficult surface.
Just when it looked like Australia might reach 280, Shreyas Iyer displayed a piece of magic on the field, as his direct hit from the deep dismissed Alex Carey in the 48th over.
For India, the likes of Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja were the pick of the bowlers, as the trio managed to scalp 2+ wickets, with the former ending up with 3 wickets.