Champions Trophy: Kohli's 84 Leads India to Third Consecutive Final with 4-Wicket Victory Over Australia
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Synopsis
On March 4, 2023, Virat Kohli's 84, paired with K.L. Rahul's unbeaten 42 and Hardik Pandya's explosive 28, led India to a thrilling four-wicket victory against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal held in Dubai. This win marks India's third consecutive final appearance.
Key Takeaways
- Virat Kohli scored 84 runs, leading India to victory.
- India reached the Champions Trophy final for the third time in a row.
- Shreyas Iyer contributed with a significant 45 runs.
- Australia was bowled out for 264 runs.
- India chased down the target with 11 balls remaining.
Dubai, March 4 (NationPress) Virat Kohli's remarkable 84 runs, complemented by K.L. Rahul's not-out 42 and Hardik Pandya's explosive 28, propelled India to a convincing four-wicket victory over Australia in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
This victory marks India's achievement as the first team to reach the Champions Trophy final for a third successive time. They are set to face the winner of the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand on March 9 in Dubai. Additionally, this win allowed India to avenge their defeat to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
In pursuit of 265 runs, captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started with a short 30-run partnership, with Rohit taking the initiative before being dismissed for 28 by Ben Dwarshuis in the fifth over. Rohit's innings comprised three fours and a six, ending when Cooper Connolly trapped him leg before wicket in the eighth over.
Kohli then partnered with Shreyas Iyer to forge a significant 91-run partnership for the third wicket, laying a solid foundation for the chase. The partnership was broken when Zampa dismissed Iyer for 45 in the 27th over. Kohli's innings included his 74th ODI half-century, making him the highest run-scorer for India in Champions Trophy history by surpassing Shikhar Dhawan's previous record of 701 runs across 10 games from 2013 to 2017.
In subsequent partnerships with Axar Patel and Rahul, Kohli pushed India closer to their target. He was eventually dismissed by Zampa in the 43rd over, giving Australia a glimmer of hope, but Pandya and Rahul ensured they couldn't capitalize with a 34-run partnership off 31 balls.
Pandya struck two massive sixes off Zampa and added a four against Ellis before being dismissed in the 48th over. Rahul finished the match with a six off Glenn Maxwell, leading India to victory with 11 balls to spare.
Earlier, despite half-centuries from Steve Smith and Alex Carey, India's disciplined bowling restricted the ODI World Champions under the 300-run threshold. The initial power-play saw both Indian pacers Shami and Hardik Pandya create early opportunities, but Shami dropped Travis Head on his second ball.
Shami struck in his second over, dismissing Connolly for a duck and giving India their first breakthrough. A slight edge from Connolly's bat was caught by K.L. Rahul.
Head responded with aggressive boundaries against Pandya and Shami, scoring 39 runs before being dismissed by Varun Chakaravarthy. Smith and Marnus Labuschagne then built a 56-run partnership, keeping the scoreboard moving. Smith reached his half-century off 68 balls but was eventually dismissed by Shami for 73.
Carey played steadily, making 61 runs and forming a 34-run partnership with Ben Dwarshuis before being run out due to a brilliant direct hit by Shreyas Iyer.
Shami claimed another wicket, dismissing Nathan Ellis before Pandya wrapped up the innings by bowling out Adam Zampa, leaving Australia all out for 264 with three balls remaining.
Brief scores:
Australia 264 all out in 49.3 overs (Steve Smith 73, Alex Carey 61; Ravindra Jadeja 2-40, Mohammed Shami 3-48, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-49) lost to India 267/6 in 48.1 overs (Virat Kohli 84, Shreyas Iyer 45; Nathan Ellis 2-49, Adam Zampa 2-60) by four wickets.
