Image: Rohit Sharma lost the toss and Australia will bat first in the semifinal / © India Today
Ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final between India and Australia, Rohit Sharma’s toss misfortune continued as Steve Smith opted to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India retained their playing XI from the previous match, while Australia made two changes — Cooper Connolly replaced the injured Matthew Short, and Tanveer Sangha came in for Spencer Johnson.
Australia Playing XI: Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Rohit, on the other hand, remained indifferent about losing the toss, emphasizing India’s adaptability to different conditions, having both defended and chased successfully in the tournament. With four spinners and two seamers in India’s lineup, the focus will be on restricting Australia to a manageable total.
As India and Australia renew their rivalry in this crucial knockout match, fans are eager to see whether Rohit can lead his side to another ICC final or if Australia will prove too strong once again.