India's dominance continues: 5th final appearance in seven ICC tournaments

The Aussies were banking on Dubai's driest pitch, with six spin options packed into their XI. But either the pitch didn't deteriorate as expected, or Kohli's class nullified it-likely, a mix of both.

For years, ICC knockout matches belonged to Australia. They carried an aura of inevitability. But India is rewriting that script. With a commanding victory in the semi-final, they have stormed into their fifth final in seven 50-over world tournaments, dismantling the original giants of the format with unnerving ease.

 

Kohli’s class: A masterful 84 under pressure

 

Virat Kohli has the aura. Now, he just needs the trophies to go with it. On Sunday, he will fight for one after crafting one of his smoothest innings—a sublime 84 off 98 balls where he looked completely in control.

 

He manipulated the field against spin, forcing Australia to burn a review, ran sharply to steal overthrows, and roared in celebration for his partners’ boundaries. His batting against spin, often questioned in recent times, was impeccable—70 balls, 63 runs, only 12 off boundaries. There were no prolonged dot-ball phases, just relentless strike rotation. 

 

 

Australia misreads the Pitch, India capitalises

 

With Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood absent, Australia’s bowling lacked its usual bite. They were banking on Dubai’s driest pitch of the tournament, with six spin options packed into their XI. But either the pitch didn’t deteriorate as expected, or Kohli’s class nullified it—likely, a mix of both.

 

Even Rohit Sharma was unsure at the toss and admitted he was relieved to lose it. India also anticipated more help for spin, fielding four slow bowlers, a move that paid off when Varun Chakravarthy struck with his first-ever ball to Travis Head. The left-hander had already smashed seven of Australia’s eight boundaries at that point, making his early dismissal a turning point.

 

Smith’s fightback and a stunning collapse

 

Steve Smith, a constant tormentor of Indian cricket, looked set to haunt them again. Australia thrived in the middle overs, scoring 147 runs at 5.06 an over, a phase where most teams have struggled against India’s spinners.

 

Smith was in his element, driving Chakravarthy through cover, lofting Jadeja down the ground, and adjusting to Kuldeep Yadav’s variations. He rehearsed shots for four overs, trying to counter Kuldeep’s deceptive googly. In the 28th over, he was squared up, beaten by the turn. By the 32nd over, he was smashing the same ball down the ground with ease.

 

Rohit had no choice but to turn to pace, and Mohammed Shami provided a miracle. 

 

A full toss—not a deadly yorker, not a searing inswinger. Smith, who had danced down to unsettle India’s bowlers all game, charged forward and missed it completely. The ball clattered into the stumps. A batter of his caliber doesn’t make such mistakes. Something had changed. 

 

The ball was reversing.

 

Five balls later, Axar Patel skidded one through Glenn Maxwell’s defences, exposing Australia’s tail with over 10 overs left. A commanding position turned into survival mode.

 

Carey’s lone resistance

 

Alex Carey’s innings was an act of defiance.

 

Scoring at better than a run-a-ball, timing everything with precision, he played with the field, not against it. India placed mid-on up and square leg deep—he cleared the infield with ease. Mid-off dropped back, point came up—he countered with a reverse sweep. If he had more support, he would have taken Australia past 280, rather than falling short at 264.

 

For India, it was the perfect semi-final statement—they had studied Australia, outplayed them, and now stand just one step away from another ICC title. 

India Inning
267-6 (48.1 ov) CRR:5.54
Batter		R	B	4s	6s	SR
Rohit Sharma (C)	lbw b C Connolly	28	29	3	1	96.55
Shubman Gill	b BJ Dwarshuis	8	11	1	0	72.73
Virat Kohli	c BJ Dwarshuis b A Zampa	84	98	5	0	85.71
Shreyas Iyer	b A Zampa	45	62	3	0	72.58
Axar Patel	b N Ellis	27	30	1	1	90
KL Rahul (WK)	Not out	42	34	2	2	123.53
Hardik Pandya	c G Maxwell b N Ellis	28	24	1	3	116.67
Ravindra Jadeja	Not out	2	1	0	0	200
Extras	3 (b 0, Ib 0, w 3, nb 0, p 0)
Total	267 (6 wkts, 48.1 Ov)
Yet to Bat	Mohammed Shami,Kuldeep Yadav,Varun Chakravarthy
Bowler	O	M	R	W	WD	ECO
Ben Dwarshuis	7	0	39	1	1	5.57
Nathan Ellis	10	0	49	2	2	4.9
Cooper Connolly	8	0	37	1	0	4.63
Adam Zampa	10	0	60	2	0	6
Tanveer Sangha	6	0	41	0	0	6.83
Glenn Maxwell	6.1	0	35	0	0	5.68
Travis Head	1	0	6	0	0	6