Follow UsRohit Sharma and his men have qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 without losing a single group-stage encounter. India will now face mighty Australia, whom they haven’t defeated in the knockout stage of any ICC tournament since 2011. The two teams will face each other in the first semi-final in Dubai on March 4 (Tuesday).
The last time India defeated Australia in the knockout stage of an ICC event was in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup. In 2023, India lost two finals against Australia, including a defeat in the home World Cup final in Ahmedabad - India’s only loss in their last 23 ICC event matches. India did knock Australia out of the 2024 T20 World Cup, but it wasn’t a knockout game for them.
“It's a great opposition to play against. All we had to do is what we've been thinking about last three games. And we have to approach that game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play and stuff like that. But I think the more and more we focus on what we need to do as a group, as a player, as a batting unit, as a bowling unit, that helps us a lot,” said Rohit, who even praised Australia’s performances in the ICC knockouts after the New Zealand game.
“I said it, yes, but look, Australia have been such a great team over the years. So, we will expect some fightbacks. We will expect some nervy times as well in the middle. But that is how the game is being played these days. And you're talking about the semifinal. Obviously, the pressure will be on both teams to win that game. But I think it's important for us to just keep focusing on what we need to do, keep doing our things and keep doing those things right. And then the result will come if we keep doing the things that we are supposed to.”
Indian captain Rohit also spoke about using Axar Patel at No.5 ahead of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul. The left-hander managed scores of 52, 41* and 13 in the three ODIs against England before the Champions Trophy and then chipped in with a crucial knock of 42 against New Zealand after India lost their first three wickets for 30 runs.
“The clear message was given to him when we started the ODI series against England, that no matter what the situation is, you will bat at 5. And the kind of improvement he's shown with his bat over the last year or so is superb to watch. And that is where we felt that we can utilize him to bat in the middle and bat freely,” said Rohit about Axar.
“He likes to take the game on, likes to play his shots. And sometimes you are in trouble, you want to always take that positive route. And with Axar, we definitely can do that. He showed it in the T20 World Cup final, which was a very, very crucial knock.
“Again, in that game as well, we were three down and for him to come out and bat like that was superb and got us to a decent total in the end. And that is what we expect. Whenever he's gotten an opportunity, he's shown that he can do just a bit more than what we expect him to do. And he's upped his game in terms of his batting. So always nice to have those kind of players in your squad.”