Aussies eliminated as Kohli-led India confirm Dubai decider

India dealt blows to their two biggest rivals with a four-wicket Champions Trophy semi-final win, exacting revenge over Australia in the World Cup finalists' first ODI meeting since the Ahmedabad turn-up while also denying Pakistan from hosting the tournament's final.

Virat Kohli's 84 from 98 balls ensured Australia's 264, the highest total in this tournament in Dubai where India are playing their matches for political reasons, was reeled in with 11 balls to spare under lights in front of a vocal pro-India crowd.

Kohli hit just five boundaries but controlled the chase masterfully before KL Rahul (42no) and Hardik Pandya (28) struck the requisite late blows against the brave but outclassed Australian bowlers.

Captain Steve Smith (73 from 96 balls) and Alex Carey (61 from 57) tamed India's four-spinner attack, but the Aussies fell short of the kind of knockout score their inexperienced bowlers could defend.

"It always felt like we were one wicket too many down at each stage of the game," said Smith.

"If we're able to drag one of those partnerships out, that's probably where we get to 280 and then there's a little bit more pressure on the game.

"The bowling attack was quite inexperienced. I thought they did a wonderful job throughout.

"There were glimpses tonight of some really good stuff as well. There are some really good cricketers in that change room and they're going to continue to get bigger and better."

The winner of the South Africa-New Zealand semi will now face Rohit Sharma's men in the UAE, 2,000 kilometres away from the originally proposed venue for the final, Lahore.

Australia, whose loss of Matthew Short for the knockout clash marked the latest blow in an avalanche of injuries and unavailabilities, doubled down on their reliance on international greenhorns for the knockout contest.  

Cooper Connolly, only added to the official squad in recent days, was a shock pick to open instead of Jake Fraser-McGurk, while Tanveer Sangha came in to partner fellow leg-spinner Adam Zampa.

More seasoned hands Sean Abbott, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson were all overlooked for an XI featuring three players with fewer than five ODIs to their name.

The youngest, Connolly, bounced back from a rotten start (he followed a nine-ball duck by dropping Rohit on 13 at backward point) with the biggest contribution of his international career; trapping a sweeping Rohit lbw with his fifth ball after Smith asked him to bowl first change.

The left-arm spinner, who is yet to take a first-class wicket and has not bowled even 200 balls in List A cricket coming into Tuesday's clash, would have had Kohli on 51 as well if Glenn Maxwell held on to a one-handed chance at short cover.

Connolly and Maxwell's drops, along with another in the Powerplay from Marnus Labuschagne off Rohit, were telling for an Australian side whose dismantling of India in the 2023 World Cup final was built on a near-flawless bowling and fielding effort.

After Ben Dwarshuis' impressive tournament continued when he had Shubman Gill chopping on in the fifth over of India's chase, Australia did effect semi-regular breakthroughs during Kohli's 135-minute stay as Adam Zampa bowled Sheryas Iyer (for 45) before Nathan Ellis did likewise to Axar Patel (27).

But while the 36-year-old could not cap his evening with a 52nd ODI ton – Zampa dismissed him for a sixth time in the format, caught at long-on – he stretched his batting average to 64.50 in run-chases, comfortably the all-time benchmark.

Nathan Ellis (2-49) was brilliant at the death against the at-times nervy Rahul-Hardik pair, but the latter smashed back-to-back sixes off Zampa (2-60) to all but clinch the four-run victory despite his late exit to Ellis.

"I think it was pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan," said Kohli, who hit just seven fours in his unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in the group stage.

"I think my timing, the composure at the crease (was the most pleasing aspect). I wasn't feeling desperate. I was pretty happy knocking ones around.

"When, as a batsman, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that's when you know you're playing good cricket.

"When you know you're in for a big partnership, it settles the nerves down a little bit and you can head towards chasing the total down."

After Smith chose to bat first in the desert's dry afternoon sun, it was a skittish Travis Head that greeted the foes he has bested so often over the past few years. Mohammed Shami (3-48) dropped him on the first legal ball of the match, Jadeja missed a chance to run him out on 11, while he narrowly avoided chopping on off Shami on 22.

But a familiar sequence of square-of-the-wicket spanks (for five fours and two sixes) had the overwhelmingly pro-India crowd fearing yet another Head masterclass was coming in a crunch match.

It took Varun Chakaravarthy, the 33-year-old architect-turned-wrist-spinner playing in only his third ODI, to construct the leftie's downfall.

A wrong'un from around the wicket, the same delivery Head had twice failed to pick in Kuldeep Yadav's previous over, saw a straight slog miscued to a running Shubman Gill at long-off.

It was vindication of Rohit's brave call to bowl both his wrist-spinners inside the Powerplay.

The fate of Head's opening partner, the surprise inclusion Connolly, had been more decisive.

Opening for the first time in his four-match ODI career, and only the second time in nine career List A games, the 21-year-old played and missed seven times in a row against Shami (one was a wide) before an edge behind brought Smith to the crease.

Australia's skipper, along with Labuschagne, endured a 50-ball boundary drought, but just as the pair had wrestled some control over the post-Powerplay spin onslaught, Ravindra Jadeja (2-40) gave a timely reminder of his skills.

No longer an all-format lock for India and arguably not even India's most important left-arm spinning allrounder behind Axar Patel, Jadeja showed off his brilliance by dismissing Labuschagne (one skidding low onto his pad) and Josh Inglis (who popped a catch to short cover on a delivery that gripped) with balls that had pitched in virtually the same spot.

Smith also profited from a few bursts of good fortune (like Head, he was dropped by Shami, while a delivery that rolled slowly off his bat and pad onto his off stump from an Axar skidder somehow did not dislodge the bails) amid an otherwise faultless hand.

The right-hander manipulated the middle overs with typical efficiency, so it was a surprise when he charged at Shami and missed a full toss that cannoned into his stumps.

When Maxwell was also bowled (for 7 by Axar) an over later, it left the Aussies with all their specialist bats bar Carey back in the sheds before the 40-over mark and the benchmark of a total around 300 all but out of reach.

That Australia got as many as they did was thanks to Carey remaining every bit the form man with the bat, marshalling his side through the final overs to a competitive score. It took a bullet Iyer throw from the deep to dismiss him on a calculated gamble to retain the strike.

2025 ICC Men's Champions Trophy

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Australia's Group B fixtures

February 22: Australia beat England by five wickets

February 25: No result v South Africa

February 28: No result v Afghanistan

March 4: India defeated Australia by four wickets

March 5: Semi-final 2, South Africa v New Zealand

March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)

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