The last time India played against Australia, Rohit Sharma was India’s captain
India and Australia are set to face off in a bilateral series, with games
taking place Down Under. With less than a week to go for the first ODI match, hardcore cricket enthusiasts from both camps are scanning the internet for pre-buzz articles about the India-Australia rivalry. Therefore, we begin our coverage with the last game the sides played against each other, i.e., the semi-final match of the ICC Champions Trophy on March 4, 2025, at the Dubai International Stadium.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav & Varun Chakravarthy.
(Credit- NDTV)
Australia: Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis & Tanveer Sangha.
Australia’s innings
Winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first but never found the footing required to post a big score on the board. Although Travis Head scored 39 off 33 balls, his departure was quick, whereas Cooper Connolly went home for a nine-ball duck. Captain Steve Smith played an anchor role with 73 runs off his willow. However, in 93 balls, the low strike rate slowed the pace of the game.
(Credit- NDTV)
Alex Carrey also scored 61 runs off 57 balls, whereas Marnus scored 29 runs off 36 balls. However, none of these innings had the pace to keep Australia’s run count ahead of the total number of deliveries.
The lower order didn’t help either, with wickets falling at quick intervals because of which, Australia only managed 264 runs in 49.3 overs.
India’s chase
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened the chase, with Sharma adding 28 runs, whereas Gill scored only eight. Fortunately, that’s when Virat Kohli led with his bat, hitting 84 runs while getting supported by Shreyas Iyer, who added 45 runs. Unlike Australia’s middle order, India’s did well, with 27, 42, and 28 runs coming off the bats of Axar Patel, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya, respectively.
(Credit- IceCric News)
The chase was a walk in the park for the Men in Blue as they crossed the line with 11 balls to spare at the expense of six wickets. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match, and India advanced to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
On October 19, 2025, Australia will take on India at the Perth Stadium, followed by the second and third matches on October 23 and 25, respectively.
