Virat Kohli embraces Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell after IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal [Watch]

Team India batting star Virat Kohli embraced Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell after the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. A video of the same surfaced on social media as the Indian players were walking out onto the ground to shake hands with the Aussie players.

Both Kohli and Smith came good for their respective sides in the big semi-final on Tuesday. Smith top-scored for his side with a hard-fought 73 off 96 deliveries and shared two 50-run partnerships with Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne to lift Australia to 264. Kohli, meanwhile, stood up with an 84-run knock that helped Team India over the line.

The 36-year-old Indian batter had displayed a similar gesture with Kane Williamson after their group-stage game against New Zealand.

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"I think it was pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli. (Image Credits: Getty)

At the post-match presentation, the veteran batter reflected that assessing the conditions and playing accordingly was key. He also highlighted the importance of partnerships during such run-chases and elaborated:

"I think it was pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan as well. I think there was about seven fours when I got a hundred. For me, it's about just understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly, just rotating strike. Because partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing and my only effort that day and today was to string in enough partnerships. I think the time that I got out, the plan was to get 20 more and then try and finish it off in a couple of fours. Usually that's the template I follow but sometimes you can't execute things how you want to. It's all dependent on the conditions the pitch tells me, how the cricket needs to be played and then I just switch on and play accordingly."

The Men in Blue will meet either New Zealand or South Africa in the final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.