IND vs AUS: Top 3 Player Battles to watch out for in Champions Trophy 2025

The first semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025 will witness two teams with storied rivalries facing each other. India, led by Rohit Sharma, will take on Steve Smith and his Australian side in a bid to reach the finals of the tournament. While the Aussies will want to assert their dominance, India will want to exact revenge for their loss inthe  2023 ODI World Cup finals. 

Team India began the tournament with a win over Bangladesh in the first match. Mohammed Shami’s fifer and century by Shubman Gill helped India get off to a good start. In the match against Pakistan, it was Virat Kohli’s 51st ODI ton that helped India win and reach the semi-finals. The final game against New Zealand saw Varun Chakravarthy grab the headlines with his fifer. 

Australia on the other hand began the tournament with their huge run chase versus England. Josh Inglis’ century helped the Aussies chase down the huge 352-run target set by England. Their second match of the tournament against South Africa in Rawalpindi was washed out due to rain. Australia then qualified for the semis after their match against Afghanistan too was washed out due to rain as both teams got a point each. 

Here are the top three player battles to watch out from IND vs AUS Semi finals 

3. Shubman Gill vs Ben Dwarshuis 

Indian batter Shubman Gill has been in a great run of form with the bat in the ODI format this year. Gill has already scored a century in the tournament and has been in prime form with the bat. Ben Dwarshuis, on the other hand, has been Australia’s best bowler in the tournament. The left-arm pacer has picked six wickets with three wickets each against England and Afghanistan. The 30-year-old bowls with decent speed and can trouble Gill with his early swing with the new ball. 

2. Kuldeep Yadav vs Glenn Maxwell 

One of the key battles to watch out for will be when Kuldeep Yadav bowls to Glenn Maxwell. The Australian batter will be keen to assert his dominance with the bat against Indian spinners in the middle overs when run-scoring becomes difficult. Kuldeep Yadav has already dismissed Glenn Maxwell thrice in ODI cricket. The Indian spinner knows that Maxwell will want to use the slog sweep and will try to bowl accordingly to dismiss the Aussie batter. 

1. Virat Kohli vs Adam Zampa 

One of the biggest player battles that the world is waiting to see is when Virat Kohli and Adam Zampa come face to face. The former Indian skipper has been dismissed by Zampa on five occasions. The star Australian spinner has always come out on top against Kohli due to his ability to bowl a tight line to the Indian batter. In the last few games, Kohli has struggled against leg spin bowlers, and the showdown with Zampa could determine the result of the game.