Australia to bat first against India in Champions Trophy Semi-Final

In the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy, India is set to face Australia in a highly anticipated clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. 

Australian captain Steven Smith won the toss and decided to bat first, making two changes to the Aussie lineup. India, on the other hand, has opted to field an unchanged team.

Although India has been ahead in recent encounters, their head-to-head record with Australia tells a different story. 

Out of 151 meetings between these two sides, India has won 57 times, while Australia has come out on top 84 times. 

The remaining 10 games have had no result. The most memorable clash between the teams was during the final of the 2023 World Cup. Australia, led by a brilliant 137-run century from Travis Head, defeated India by 6 wickets to claim their sixth World Cup title.

Here’s a look at the line-ups:

India XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Australia XI: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (Captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (Wicketkeeper), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, and Tanveer Sangha.

This semi-final match promises to be a thrilling contest between two cricketing giants, with the winner advancing to the final.