India’s win against New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) has propelled them to top Group A. This means the second-place holder in the Group B will contest them in the first semi-final, and that is none other than Australia. This also means that South Africa will be the team to fly back to Pakistan after making a pointless trip to the United Arab Emirates.
This will be India’s fourth consecutive semi-final appearance in ICC events, having played the semis in the T20 World Cups 2022 and 2024 and ODI World Cup 2023. However, they will have less than 48 hours to prepare for the all-important game. That being said, they are more familiar with the conditions in Dubai than any other team in this tournament.
Adding to India’s morale is a rare streak. They have not lost any ICC tournament game since their defeat against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. And now, more than ever, they would need this tempo to continue fuelling them. After beating New Zealand in the final group-stage game, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was elated to have led his team to three victories in as many games in the tournament, making India the only participating side to have achieved that.
“I think it [momentum] is very, very critical when you’re playing such a short tournament,” Rohit said. “You try and possibly win every game that is in front of you and try and do everything right and while doing that, there are bound to be mistakes but as long as you correct them quickly, that is what matters. I thought the mistakes that we’ve been making from game one now, we tend to correct those mistakes and that is what is required.”
The last time India faced Australia in an ICC final was in ODI World Cup 2023, but they would not want to let the memories of that game haunt them. Rohit understands the challenges involved when playing a team like Australia, but that does not stop him from hoping for an unscathed ride to the final.
“It [semi-final] is going to be a good game and obviously we know Australia has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well. We do understand that; it’s about what we want to do against the opposition and try and do that right. We’re all looking forward to that contest and hopefully we can stitch one [more win] towards us.”
New Zealand and South Africa will head back to Pakistan to play the second semi-final in Lahore. If India win against Australia on Tuesdat, the winner of the second semi-final will once again have to hop on the flight to the UAE. But for now, New Zealand’s skipper, Mitchell Santner, needs nothing more than rest to be able to train for their big game.
“Yeah…we will leave [Dubai] at 12.30 or 1 o’clock,” Santner said following his side’s defeat to India. “We get there and we can rest up and train and be ready to go.”
Champions Trophy Semi-final Fixtures:
1st Semi-Final: India vs Australia, Dubai, March 4th
2nd Semi-Final: New Zealand vs South Africa, March 5th
