Pakistan(National Time)- Adam Zampa renewed hope for Australia by sending off Virat Kohli, who solidified India’s innings for a 265-run chase in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 being played at the Dubai International Cricket on Tuesday. India are 237/5 at the end of the 45th over. Earlier, skipper Steven Smith and Alex Carey’s half-centuries helped Australia to set a modest target of 265 runs against India. Opting to bat first, Australia’s batting unit yielded 264 runs before getting bowled out in 49.3 overs, with Smith and Carey leading the charge with anchoring knocks. The two-time champions had a contrasting start to their innings as Cooper Connolly fell victim to Mohammed Shami in the third over with just four runs on the board. Following the early hiccup, skipper Smith joined Head in the middle and together they raised 50 runs for the second wicket until the opener perished in the ninth over. Head smashed five fours and two sixes on his way to a 33-ball 39. Smith was then involved in crucial partnerships with Marnus Labuschagne (29) and Josh Inglis (11) as he oversaw Australia’s batting expedition until the 37th over. He remained the top-scorer for Australia with 73 off 96 deliveries, laced with four fours and a six. Following his dismissal, Australia began to lose wickets at regular intervals but Carey stood his ground firm and added valuable runs to their total with a gutsy half-century. The left-handed batter smashed eight fours and a six on his way to a 57-ball 61. Shami was the standout bowler for India, taking three wickets, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja bagged two wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel made one scalp apiece.

Playing XIs

Australia: Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy