India will face Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. This marks their first knockout clash since Australia`s dominant victory in the 2023 World Cup final.

Australia has historically had the upper hand in ICC events, having beaten India in three of their last four knockout encounters since 2010. However, India has been in excellent form this tournament, topping their group with three consecutive wins. Both teams are now aiming to secure a spot in the final, promising a thrilling contest.

Pitch Report:
The Dubai International Stadium is expected to favour spinners, and batters will need to pace their innings carefully as conditions may become tougher later in the game. The team winning the toss might opt to bowl first.

Head-to-Head Record:

- Total Matches Played: 151
- India Wins: 57
- Australia Wins: 84
- No Result: 10

Predicted Playing XI:

India:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy

Australia:
Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha

With both teams in strong form, expect a closely contested semi-final. The toss and early breakthroughs will likely play a big role in determining the winner.