India will face the winner of SA v NZ second semi-final on March 9.
Rohit Sharma was ecstatic as the Indian team qualified for the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after they defeated Australia in the semi-final in Dubai on March 4, 2025.
Australia batted first against India in Dubai, scoring 264 runs, with Steve Smith top-scoring with 73. Alex Carey scored 61 runs, Travis Head scored 39, and Mohammad Shami took three wickets for India, with Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja taking two each.
Shubman Gill was out early in India's chase, whereas Rohit scored 28 runs. Virat Kohli then led the chase with 84 runs. He formed key partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (46), Axar Patel (27), and KL Rahul before losing to Adam Zampa.
Rahul (42*) and Hardik Pandya (28) then guaranteed that India triumphed by four wickets and advanced to the tournament's final.
Rohit Sharma became the first captain to take his team into the final of all four ICC events- World Test Championship, World Cup, T20 World Cup and now Champions Trophy.
He was very happy with the way the Indian team went about their game against Australia in a crunch game.
“Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. At the halfway stage, we felt like it's a reasonable score. The nature of the pitch doesn't allow you to play your shots. We were clinical with the bat. We were calm and composed in our chase. Looked better (pitch). Slightly played better than the one against NZ. It's about playing good cricket,” Rohit Sharma said in post-match presentation.
Rohit Sharma talked about the team combination and explained the importance of having six bowlers and depth in the batting order.
“There are a lot of experienced guys. That's something I wanted to have - six bowling options and at the same get that batting depth as well. Credit goes to everyone who were involved in making the team. He's done it for so many years. When we were batting, we were calm. Those shots in the end by Hardik were crucial,” he added.
He stated when India plays the final on March 9 in Dubai, he wants every player on his team to be in form.
“When you are in the final, you want all the guys in form. All these guys have made an impact and that gives us a lot of confidence. We'll not think too much about it. Both are good teams, that's why they are in the semis. It's a very high-pressure tournament, it's always nice to have some time off and relax and then think about the final,” Rohit signed off.
India will now face the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand which will be played on March 5 in Lahore.