India Defeats Australia in Semi-Final Thriller

Dubai: The atmosphere at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium was tense as India chased a challenging target against Australia in the semi-final. Inside the dressing room, Virat Kohli stood near the front, eagerly watching the final moments, while captain Rohit Sharma sat quietly, looking nervous. However, the tension quickly turned into joy and celebration as KL Rahul smashed a six, securing India’s four-wicket victory with 11 balls to spare. The dressing room erupted with cheers, and players hugged each other in relief and excitement.

Kohli’s Confidence Under Pressure

India had a tough start while chasing 264, losing two early wickets at 43 runs. However, Kohli played a steady knock of 84 runs off 98 balls, supported by:

• Shreyas Iyer (45 runs)
• KL Rahul (42 runs)*
• Hardik Pandya (28 runs)

I LOVE THIS TEAM SO MUCH, SOO MUCH pic.twitter.com/XzajzJVBvc

— Pallavi Anand (@PallaviSAnand) March 4, 2025

Before the winning shot, BCCI shared a video from the dressing room where Kohli reassured Rohit. As Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat, Kohli confidently predicted, “He’s going in to hit a six.” Though Jadeja didn’t, Rahul fulfilled the prophecy by smashing Glenn Maxwell’s delivery over long-on to win the match.

Kohli’s Historic Achievement

As soon as the match was won, Kohli, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya embraced each other, while a relieved Rohit Sharma was congratulated by Kohli. Kohli was awarded Player of the Match for his crucial innings.

Kohli also broke multiple records:

• Surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 23 fifty-plus scores in ICC ODI tournaments by scoring 24 such knocks in 53 innings.
• Became the first player to score 1,000 runs in ICC knockout matches, across tournaments like the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, World Test Championship, and Champions Trophy.

With this win, India moved one step closer to the trophy, keeping their championship hopes alive!