India vs Australia Live: Rohit & Co. out to avenge World Cup loss

Australia have had a challenging Champions Trophy. They came into it without much of their bowling firepower, hampered by injuries. Mitchell Starc is missing with ankle pain and "personal views." Marcus Stoinis retired just before the tournament got underway. And if that wasn't enough of a downer, Australia have not had match practice the way they would have liked. The matches against South Africa was washed out completely and they couldn't go past the finish line against Afghanistan before rain forced another abandonment. So Australia's only complete match was their win against England, when they chased down a massive 352 runs!

- February 22: beat England by 5 wickets

- February 25: No result vs South Africa

- February 28: No result vs Afghanistan

India come into the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia with an unblemished record. They've won after batting first and during a chase as well. Interestingly, India lost the toss in all three of them. Rather, India have lost the toss in their last 13 ODIs.

- February 20: beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets

- February 23: beat Pakistan by 6 wickets

- March 2: beat New Zealand by 44 runs

India and Australia have faced each other in 7 ICC knockout matches in history, with Australia holding a slight edge.

They've met four times in ODI World Cups and one time each in T20 World Cup, World Test Championship and Champions Trophy.

India have one win each in the ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup. But they've also been on the losing end thrice in ODI World Cups and once in the World Test Championship.

Played: 7

India won: 3

Australia won: 4

Suresh Raina said ahead of the contest, "Thappad se darr nahi lagta, yellow jersey walo se lagta hain knockouts mein!" [not scared of being slapped but by yellow jerseys in the knockouts]

Since winning their quarter-final at the 2011 World Cup, India have met Australia four times in ICC ODI tournaments, winning twice and losing twice. The two wins came at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups (both in round robin stages), and the defeats in the 2015 semi-finals and the 2023 final. Add the 2023 World Test Championship final loss and Australia have had the better of India in the last three ICC knockout matches.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting backed Jake Fraser-McGurk to replace the injured Matt Short at the top of the order. "He can slot straight into that position. To be honest, that’s the way I would probably go and just hope that he has one of his days because in games like these, the semi-finals, must-win, big games, you need to throw caution to the wind," Ponting said in the latest edition of The ICC Review.

"I think he's the sort of player that if you back him, and give him an opportunity, he might just be good enough to win a big game for you like that," he said.

Ponting gave Fraser-McGurk the nod partially due to his showing in IPL 2024, where he finished with a strike-rate of 234 from nine innings.

"He probably has been a little bit disappointed with his output in the opportunities that he's had in the last six months. So this might just be the game where he can do something...like he did in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals last season," Ponting added.

If the Australian selectors go for a like-for-like switch of opening batters, then Jake Fraser-McGurk comes into the playing XI to replace Matt Short. Fraser-McGurk is the spare batter in the squad, while if they wanted another specialist spinner, they would have to rejig the batting order and include Tanveer Sangha.

Fraser-McGurk, who himself slotted in as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, has struggled in his seven ODIs with just 98 runs, looking vulnerable with a moving new ball. However, he can be persisted with with if the ploy is to go on the attack in the powerplay.

Australia have brought in Cooper Connolly as replacement for Matt Short. Connolly, 21, is a left-hand batter and left-arm spinner, who was part of the contingent as a traveling reserve so he's come in immediately.

Connolly has played just three ODIs for Australia but could come straight into selection consideration to make up for the overs lost under Short's offspin.

In spin friendly conditions of Dubai, Australia's spin bowlers will need to step up. Unfortunately, Australia have only one out and out spin bowling option in their squad in the form of Adam Zampa. So, Australia will need to maximise their returns from Zampa's quota of 10 overs. By his own admission, the 32-year-old leggie hasn't been at his best in the Champions Trophy.

"Personally, I don't think I'm bowling quite at my best, but I like to think the beauty about me is when I'm not quite at my best and not feeling that great out there is my ability to still contribute and take those big wickets," he said after taking 2/64 vs England and 2/48 vs Afghanistan.

"I'm obviously working on some stuff at the moment to hopefully get back to my best, but as I said, the ability to still do a job for the team and get those big wickets is still there, which to me is really important."

It's hard to fault India's form after their impressive win over New Zealand on Sunday, which capped off a perfect group stage, winning all three matches in Dubai. Having those games and time to adjust to the Dubai conditions will also hold them in good stead, with India to potentially unleash four spinners against Australia

India (Last 10 matches): W, W, W, W, W, W, L, L, T, W

Two of Australia's three Champions Trophy matches were rain-affected, including one wholly abandoned. But they were on track to cruise to an impressive victory against Afghanistan before rain halted proceedings. They started the tournament with an impressive win over Ashes rivals England that involved a mammoth 352-run chase.

Australia (Last 10 matches): NR, NR, W, L, L, L, L, W, W, L

India have the edge over Australia in the Champions Trophy. Men in Blue have won two of the four matches with the Aussies winning one. One, however, finished without a result.

INDIA VS AUSTRALIA: HEAD-TO-HEAD

IN ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY
India lead 2-1 in four encounters (one no result)
1998: India won by 44 runs (Dhaka)
2000: India won by 20 runs (Nairobi)

OVERALL RECORD (151 ODIS)

Australia: 84
India: 57
No result: 10

Where will the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia be played?

The ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia will be played at Dubai International Stadium.

What time will the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia take place?

The ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia is scheduled to begin at 2:30pm IST, with the toss at 2:00pm IST.

Where will the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia be broadcast and live-streamed?

The ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Australia will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on JioHotstar.

At what time will the India vs Australia match start in Dubai?

The India vs Australia match will begin at 1pm in Dubai.

How to Watch India vs Australia match in USA?

Viewers in the USA can watch the upcoming India vs Australia Champions Trophy match on Fubo TV.

How to watch India vs Australia match in Canada?

Canadian cricket fans can watch the crucial encounter between India vs Australia through Fubo TV's service.

Australia have made one change since their previous Group B contest. Matthew Short has been ruled out with a calf injury and Cooper Connolly has come in.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly.

In a highly anticipated showdown, cricket powerhouses India and Australia will face off in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Stadium. Both teams are eager to earn their spots in the title match scheduled for Sunday.

The Indian team will undoubtedly have 2023 on their minds, along with the recent Border-Gavaskar series held in Australia.

One thing is clear: Australia have proven time and again their ability to excel in high-pressure situations, even in the absence of several key players - such as the ongoing tournament in Pakistan and Dubai. More on that as we build towards the semi-final which will get underway at 2:30pm IST (1pm local time).