India are much stronger on paper than Australia even without their champion Jasprit Bumrah. However, Australia and ICC knockouts sounds a different love story altogether. India will be looking for their ODI redemption some 14 months after the billion hearts were shattered in the World Cup 2023.
The last time that they faced each other in an ODI saw over a billion hearts shattering down. The memories of that 19th November night still haunt the Indians after the Aussies took away the glory that they so dearly wanted (and probably deserved, too).
More than a lakh people sitting at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad were left stunned, just like the crores watching on television, malls and screens around the country.
But some 471 days later, they play the Aussies in the format for the first time, and in another high-stakes game in a global ICC tournament. India and Australia will be locking horns in the opening semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025 in front of an expected packed crowd at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in a few hours from now.
India are the much stronger team on paper in comparison to the Aussies, even without their champion bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Australia are already missing nearly six first-choice players due to injuries and other reasons.
There won’t be a certain Pat Cummins, who has been winning everything he is facing on the road to captaincy greatness. But there will be an extremely smart man in Steve Smith leading his troops.
India have possibly all the resources in their arsenal for being strong contenders for the Champions Trophy, but Australia and ICC knockouts sounds a different love story altogether.
India have breezed past opponents pretty easily to remain unscathed in the tournament so far. They are the only ones to have won all three of their games. But the next two matches are the most important ones.
And more so for some senior statesmen, who might not play a major tournament after curtains draw to this one. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are aging not to get any younger. They have hung their boots from T20Is, and India don’t have a World Test Championship final in 2025 in the pipeline.
The next major ICC tournament for India would be the WTC 2027 final (if they qualify). The upcoming white-ball ICC tournament stands even further for the trio with the ODI World Cup in October and November 2027 still 20 months away from now. Who knows who has the rope long enough to keep going till then, especially after just one series (Border-Gavaskar trophy) having the ability to nearly decide the future.
Then there is a 35-year-old Smith, who might not face India many times in an ICC tournament after this. The right-handed batter, often called one of the greatest Australia has ever produced, has a statement to make. From hitting the lows of the ball-tampering scandal to standing on the verge of leading Australia to an ICC glory, what more could he ask for?
This is much more than just a clash. For the record, India and Australia have faced each other eight times in ICC knockouts, and while many would say the Aussies have the wood over the Men in Blue, it is actually four-all.
India and Australia have defeated each other four times, and one would take bragging rights after the semifinal for at least some time. Moreover, India have never lost to Australia in Champions Trophy knockouts, having won in both of their quarterfinal meetings against the Aussies in 1998 and 2000.
Come Dubai, Australia would want to overturn that, and India would look to keep the record intact as the Men in Blue eye their 50-over redemption in what can be the last dance for a few senior guys.
