The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals promise a great encounter as India host Australia at the Dubai International Stadium on March 4 at 2:30 PM IST. Both teams will be keen to prove their supremacy in this high-pressure encounter as their place in the final hangs in the balance. India has been in a classy groove, coasting their way through Group A with three successive wins.

The men in blue finished their campaign with a dominating 6-wicket victory over Pakistan, with Shreyas Iyer’s masterful 79-run innings and Varun Chakravarthy’s spellbinding 5-wicket performance showcasing their dominance. The Men in Blue have seemed composed in the conditions of Dubai, thus emerging as a strong contender heading into the knockout phase.

Conversely, Australia’s path to the semi-finals has not been smooth. With two of their Group B games being rain-affected, they managed only one victory in the league phase, finishing second in their group. Their limited match time may be a worry, but with Australia’s record in ICC tournaments, they are still a formidable opposition.

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As the two cricketing titans gear up to face each other, India’s consistent show and Australia’s unpredictability lay the groundwork for an electric encounter. While Rohit Sharma’s team will be eyeing their run of unbeaten matches, Pat Cummins’ team will be eager to regain their form. The victor of the battle will seal a spot in the final, one step away from the much-sought-after trophy.

India

India are unlikely to make changes to their XI, though Rohit Sharma remained non-committal about retaining Varun Chakravarthy as the fourth spinner. The final call will depend on the pitch conditions, but given his match-winning five-wicket haul against New Zealand, he is likely to play. There is a remote possibility of Arshdeep Singh replacing Mohammed Shami, who has struggled to make an impact so far in the tournament.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy

Australia

Australia have a forced change with Matthew Short ruled out. They may opt for Jake Fraser-McGurk as a like-for-like replacement at the top, though they will miss Short’s handy off-spin. The conditions in Dubai might also prompt them to consider Cooper Connolly, while Tanveer Sangha remains an outside chance if they decide to sacrifice a pacer.

Probable XI: Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson

Fantasy XI Suggestion 1: 

Josh Inglis, Virat Kohli (c), Travis Head (vc), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Glenn Maxwell, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Adam Zampa, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy

Fantasy XI Suggestion 2: 

Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Travis Head, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (VC), Adam Zampa, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ben Dwarshuis