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India will face off against Australia in the first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy on Tuesday, March 4. The contest will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which has hosted the Men in Blue throughout the tournament.
India ran through the group stage without any problems, notching up three wins on the trot and finishing atop the standings. Rohit Sharma and Co. still have a couple of questions to answer with respect to their bowling combination, though. The nature of the pitch could dictate which approach they take, although their general decisions should be straightforward.
India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
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On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for the first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Shubman Gill
India's opening combination has no scope for change. Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill failed against New Zealand, but they've appeared to be in good nick over the course of the last two months. The duo will want to take the attack to Australia's second-string pace attack.
Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel
Virat Kohli loves playing against Australia, and he needs to step up in the knockout clash. His battle against Adam Zampa could have a decisive impact on the outcome of the clash.
The rest of the middle order will wear a similar look. Axar Patel has been confirmed as India's designated No. 5 batter, with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul on either side of the left-hander.
All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will make up the rest of the batting unit, with both players having important roles to play in the lower-middle order and with the ball.
Rahul's form is a mild concern, but Rishabh Pant should remain on the bench for the first semifinal.
Lower Order: Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
Will India bring Harshit Rana back for the first semifinal against Australia? If they do so, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav are the only two candidates to be replaced. But it isn't realistic to expect the Men in Blue to drop either bowler, with them having played integral roles in the rise of the ODI side over the last two years.
So India could persist with just one frontline quick in the form of Shami. It's become impossible to drop Varun Chakaravarthy, who was sensational with a five-wicket haul against New Zealand. Varun will lead the spin attack as Kuldeep searches for the form that he had in the lead-up to and during the 2023 World Cup.
Arshdeep Singh, who hasn't got a game in the Champions Trophy so far, likely won't be thrust into the cauldron in such an important game even though India are short of a powerplay bowling threat.
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