India vs Australia LIVE Updates, Champions Trophy Semi-Final 2025: Travis Head Gets Massive Reprieve, Mohammed Shami Misses Catch In 1st Over | Cricket News

IND vs AUS LIVE: CHANCE!

Oh, Travis Head almost edged that one. Head’s edge comes back towards Shami, the pacer throws a hand at it, but cannot hold on. Early opening for Team India. 

Next ball, sharply back in, Head has to defend.

AUS 1/0 (0.2)

IND vs AUS LIVE: Mohammed Shami opens the bowling!

Shami starts off with an outswinger, drifting away from Travis Head. It’s a wide. 

AUS 1/0 (0.1)

IND vs AUS LIVE: Connolly and Head open

Travis Head is opening, as expected. Cooper Connolly has been thrown into the deep end, and is opening the batting with Head.

A breath of fire for the young opener.

IND vs AUS LIVE: India vs Travis Head

Travis Head. A demon, almost each and every time, against India. WTC Final, CWC Final, BGT. Travis Head has been there, done that. 

Utmost priority for Shami and Hardik with the new ball, will be to dismiss Head quickly.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Big changes for Australia

Jake Fraser-McGurk still does not get into Australia’s XI. Cooper Connolly has been brought into the 15-man squad and thrown into the mix straight away. 

Eyes on Tanveer Sangha as well, who will partner Adam Zampa. Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head can also roll their arm.

IND vs AUS LIVE: 4 spinners for India

Varun Chakravarthy. Kuldeep Yadav. Ravindra Jadeja. Axar Patel. We could have 40 overs of high quality spin from Team India today. India are backing their biggest strength to the tilt!

IND vs AUS LIVE: India will back themselves

India will back themselves here. They have won 6 ODIs in a row, and have convincingly won both times in a run chase during Champions Trophy 2025. 

All of India’s top order have had big scores recently, and are definitely favourites for the game.

IND vs AUS LIVE: 14th consecutive toss lost!

Team India have now lost 14 tosses in a row! An unbelievable stat.

“When in two minds, it is better to lose the toss,” said Rohit Sharma, stating that he wasn’t sure whether to bat or bowl. As it stands, India will bowl first today.

IND vs AUS LIVE: India XI

India’s XI vs Australia:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Australia XI

Australia’s XI vs India:

Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.

IND vs AUS LIVE: No Harshit Rana! Varun plays

Team India have stuck with the exact XI from the New Zealand game. Varun Chakravarthy will be part of the XI after his 5-wicket haul, and Harshit Rana misses out.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Extra spinner for Australia

Cooper Connolly has been drafted into the Australia XI, while Tanveer Sangha comes in as a spin option in place of Spencer Johnson. Focus on spin is obvious!

IND vs AUS LIVE: AUSTRALIA WIN TOSS

Australia have won the toss, and decided to bat first! India to chase!

IND vs AUS LIVE: “Looks good for spinners”

‘Win the toss, bat first’ is the advice from Michael Atherton and Ramiz Raja on the pitch report. The track has a fair few cracks and should be good for the spinners, they say. 

Varun Chakravarthy a guarantee now?

IND vs AUS LIVE: Gear up for toss!

We are just 5 minutes away from toss time in Dubai! India vs Australia, it does not get bigger than this.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Selection dilemma for Australia

Australia have a huge selection headache of their own. Opener Matt Short has been ruled out due to injury, with Cooper Connolly brought into the 15-man squad.

Will we see Jake Fraser-McGurk get a game today? 

IND vs AUS LIVE: ‘Fat-shaming’ controversy around Rohit

Rohit Sharma has been drawn into the centre of a body-shaming saga by politicians just a day ahead of the Champions Trophy semi-final. It is unwanted controversy ahead of a big game, but it should not affect Team India’s preparation.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Will Harshit Rana miss out?

One has to feel for Harshit Rana if he misses out. The young pacer was brought into the squad despite relative inexperience, but has performed admirably, taking 4 wickets in two games. 

There is no doubt that Harshit adds a lot of quality with the old ball. However, does Varun’s qualities outweigh that? It will be a big headache for Rohit, Gambhir and co.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Should Varun Chakravarthy play?

Varun Chakravarthy was brought into India’s 15-man Champions Trophy squad as a last-minute trump card, and boy has he proven his worth. One game, 5 wickets. The perfect impression against New Zealand. Ex-selector Sarandeep Singh believes he is a must.

“It is important to give Varun Chakravarthy a chance. In Australia’s middle order, there are no good players who can play the spin well. Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav are playing well. If Varun Chakravarthy plays this combination, things will not be easy for Australia,” Sarandeep said.

IND vs AUS LIVE: Big selection dilemma ahead of Team India

The question on everyone’s lips: Will Varun Chakaravarthy play? Will Harshit Rana return to the XI? Does someone like Ravindra Jadeja/Kuldeep Yadav get benched?

It is a massive debate, but India must make a tough call that could have huge ramifications. 

IND vs AUS Live: All eyes on Kohli

Star batter Virat Kohli played his 300th ODI match for India against New Zealand on Sunday. However, he failed to leave a mark as he was dismissed for 11. Kohli will now aim to bounce back in style against Australia in the semi-final match. He gave a testament of his fiery form with a powerful century against Pakistan. 

IND vs AUS Live: Only 1 proper spinner for Australia

Australia have only one genuine spinner in Adam Zampa, while hoping for part-timers Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head to deliver the goods. Matthew Short has been ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury and it has also robbed the already creaking Australian bowling unit of a handy spin option.

Ind vs AUS Live: India’s strong spin attack

The Indian spin quartet of Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel walked away with nine New Zealand wickets, but they applied the pressure consistently to earn their rewards. They delivered 128 dot balls in the 39 overs bowled between them as the Kiwis struggled to break free, a sequence eventuating in a flurry of wickets. Even the dismissal of an otherwise stoic Kane Williamson had a touch of desperation as his shimmy against Axar ended in a stumping by KL Rahul. 

Champions Trophy 2025 Live: Injury replacement for Australia

Australia have called up spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly to replace injured opener Matt Short in their Champions Trophy squad. Short sustained a quad injury against Afghanistan and was unable to recover in time for the knockout stages, forcing Australia to make the late change.

India vs Australia Semi-Final, Live: Varun Chakravarthy’s fiery entry

With India opting for a spin-heavy squad tailored for the slow conditions in Dubai, questions arose about whether they had included one spinner too many. However, Sunday’s match validated their selection, and the late decision to introduce Varun Chakravarthy — a relatively inexperienced bowler in the 50-over format — could prove to be a game-changer.

Champions Trophy 2025 Live: Kamran Akmal’s hilarious advice for India

Former Pakistan batter Kamran Akmal stated that Team India should wear an orange jersey instead of blue, in order to avoid getting thrashed by Australia batter Travis Head. Since 2023, Head has proven to be India’s biggest headache across all the formats. Interestingly, Head delivered blockbuster performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 against Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. Both the teams wear blue jerseys. 

Champions Trophy 2025 Live: Australia’s dominance in ICC knockouts

The last two times India and Australia clashed in a major knockout match, Australia emerged victorious, winning both the 2023 World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final.

Champions Trophy 2025 Live: Australia’s Group Stage journey

Australia’s journey has been one of resilience. Despite missing key players before the tournament began, they have showcased incredible depth and mental fortitude. Their campaign kicked off with a record-breaking chase against England, where Josh Inglis’s stunning unbeaten 120 powered them to a thrilling win in Lahore. Rain played spoilsport in their subsequent matches, with their fixture against South Africa abandoned and a rain-affected game against Afghanistan also ending in a no-result, securing their passage to the semi-finals.

India vs Australia Semi-Final, Live: India’s unbeaten run in Group Stage

India have been dominant throughout the tournament, finishing the group stage unbeaten. They men began their campaign with a six-wicket win against Bangladesh. They followed it up with a clinical performance against arch-rivals Pakistan, where Virat Kohli’s masterful century anchored a six-wicket victory in a 241-run chase. Against New Zealand, India faced a stern test but emerged unscathed as Shreyas Iyer’s 79 guided them to 249/9 before Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul sealed a comfortable win, confirming their place in the semifinals.

India vs Australia Semi-Final, Live: Hello

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Champions Trophy 2025, first semi-final match between India and Australia, straight from Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Stay tuned for all the live updates.