The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team defeated New Zealand by 44 runs to top the Group A. They will now be competing against their rivals Australia in the 1st semi-final of the ongoing edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, on March 4 (Tuesday). This will also be the first meeting between the two cricketing giants in an ODI game since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final which took place on 19th November, 2023. New Zealand will face South Africa in the other semi-final in Lahore on March 5.
Rohit Sharma on semi-final vs Australia
The Indian captain talked about their victory over New Zealand and how crucial every win is ahead of their semi-final clash. He also said that they are looking forward to the match against Australia, who have great history in ICC tournaments.
"Very important for us to finish on a high. New Zealand a good side, playing well in the recent past. Axar-Shreyas partnership was important after losing wickets in the first powerplay. They got us to good total, with our quality bowlers, we had the confidence to defend that. Varun has got something different, wanted to try and see what he had to offer. We got to think a little about what to do for the next game, good headache. If he gets it right, very difficult to read him," said Rohit Sharma in the post-match presentation.
"Momentum critical in such a short game. Try and win game, try and do everything right. Mistakes happen but correcting that is important. It is going to be a good game. Australia have a rich history of playing well in ICC tournaments. About us to do things right. We have to be focussed on what we need to do on that day. Looking forward to that, hopefully we can stitch one towards us," he added.
After India defeated New Zealand in their last group stage match of the competition, the Champions Trophy semi-final lineup was finalized. With the victory, India moved up to the top of the Group A table and advanced to the tournament's semi-final, where they will play Australia. On March 3, New Zealand will take an early morning flight to Lahore to play South Africa in the tournament's second semi-final match. The tournament's first semifinal will take place in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4, while the second semifinal will take place on March 5.
In the Champions Trophy, India has been the most dominant team. They are the only team in the group stage to have won each of their three games. The team's opponent will be Australia, who defeated England in a thrilling pursuit and then went on to defeat Afghanistan in their last group stage encounter before the rain started to pour in Lahore. Rain forced the cancellation of Australia's match versus South Africa.
