Kohli's Masterclass Chase Places India in Final

Virat Kohli delivered a chase masterclass to knock Australia out of the tournament and send India to the final with a four-wicket win in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday in Dubai.

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India finally savoured the sweet taste of revenge of the 2023 ODI World Cup heartbreak, which now became a distant memory as India relished its four-wicket victory in the semi-final.

By chasing down a competitive 265-run target, India toppled the record by completing its highest-successful run chase against Australia in an ICC event, bettering the previous best chase of 261 in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final.

India began its pursuit of the 265-run target with a touch of caution. Shubman Gill looked jittery in his approach, while India's captain, Rohit Sharma, remained undaunted and stuck to his early blitzkrieg approach.

In his policy of playing fearless cricket, Rohit received his first lifelines when Cooper Connolly dropped a sitter. He received a second chance after Marnus Labuschagne sprinted towards the ball and got hold of it but eventually fluffed it as he landed on the ground.

With India showing signs of nerves getting the better of them, Australia saw the opening and capitalised on the opportunity. Ben Dwarshuis drew the first blood with a delivery angling into the right-handed star. Gill tried to dab it to third man and dragged the ball straight into the stumps.

Rohit soon followed in his footsteps after being pinned in front of the stumps by Connolly on 28(29). Virat initiated the recovery phase with Shreyas Iyer and laid the foundation for India's success.

Virat relied on his basics and trademark style, while Shreyas added a couple of unorthodox shots from his artillery. The duo raised a 91-run partnership before Adam Zampa castled Shreyas on 45(62).

Axar Patel came in, played a couple of shots, and departed with a score of 27(30).