India vs Australia semi-final: What happened last time they met?

Tuesday, March 4, will witness India locking horns with Australia in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India topped Group A by going unbeaten in their group-stage campaign, winning all their three games against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand respectively. On the other hand, Australia finished in second place in Group B by accumulating four points after three games; two of them coming courtesy of washed out encounters against South Africa and Afghanistan, respectively.

The last time India and Australia took on each other in a semi-final of an ICC event was during the 2015 World Cup. The co-hosts and eventual title winners ended up winning the second semi-final of that tournament by a 95-run margin at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 26, 2015. Opting to bat first on winning the toss, Australia racked up 328/7 in their allotted 50-over quota. As far as the run-chase is concerned, India were bundled out for 233 in 46.5 overs.

India had begun the high-stakes game well by getting rid of David Warner on the first delivery of the fourth over. However, Steve Smith led the charge from that point onward. The dynamic batter racked up his first ton of that edition when his side were in need of a big score the most. Smith departed after registering a well-paced 93-ball 105-run knock. The second-leading run-scorer in the innings, Aaron Finch, was a crucial cog too. His knock of 81 in addition to Smith's ton led Australia to a 300-plus total. Cameos from James Faulkner and Mitchell Johnson came as crucial contributions too.

It was a rare off day for the Indian bowling unit. Before that particular contest, they had fared exceedingly well in their league phase clashes. They had bowled out each of their opponents right from their first Pool B match against Pakistan to their 109-run quarter-final win against Bangladesh. However, they could never really curb the run flow against the Aussies. Despite ending up with a four-wicket haul, Umesh Yadav ended up conceding 72 runs in the nine overs he bowled. The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up only one wicket between them.

The top-order pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started off quite briskly. For majority of their 76-run stand, they scored at a greater rate than a run-a-ball tempo. However, neither of the two could get to their half-centuries. Ace batter, Virat Kohli, struggled to get going and made his way back for a single run off 13 deliveries. By the halfway stage, India were four down, in a desperate scramble for a rebuild. Ajinkya Rahane's 44 (68) comprised only a couple of boundaries, with the batter struggling to get going. Skipper MS Dhoni, ended up as the team's highest run-getter with a 65-run innings.       

It was only a matter of time before the Indian innings wrapped up after Dhoni's dismissal in the 45th over. The tail was cleaned up without any fuss, as Australia reigned supreme over India. The new-ball combination of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, came back well after their first spell, ending up with two and one wicket, respectively. The left-arm alliance of Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner picked half of the opposition among themselves. The part-time off-spin of Maxwell also proved to be effective. He ended up conceding only 18 runs in the five overs reserved to him.   

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Semi-final 1, IND vs AUS Match Prediction – Who will win today’s Champions Trophy match between IND vs AUS?

Shifting to the present-day picture, only six of the 22 players from that game in 2015 remain a part of the squads (Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja, and Shami for India and Smith and Maxwell for Australia). Along with the times which have changed drastically, the mindset with which cricketers approach the game has undergone a significant transformation as well.

The deck in Dubai is sure to play out contrastingly differently than the one in Sydney. As observed in the 2025 edition of the ILT20 and the three games played at the DICS in the ongoing tournament, a weary track can be expected to be in store for both the sides. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first might be a more viable option for both sides. However, spinners are expected to play a vital role in both innings. The dry nature of the pitch is expected to make batting tough, and both sides will aim on forging key partnerships through their respective innings.