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
Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)
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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“As a batsman, when you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you are batting well and settle the nerves down a little bit. That was the most pleasing factor today and against Pakistan. This game is all about pressure; if you go deep into the innings with wickets in hand, the opposition gives in. The game becomes easier. It’s important to control your impulses; for me, it’s important to know the number of overs and runs left. Even if the gap is 25-30 and it comes to six an over, I’m not bothered, as long as we have 6 wickets in hand,” Kohli was quoted as saying after being presented with the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
“I’m never focused on those things, when you don’t think of those milestones, they happen along the way. For me, it’s about taking pride in the team. If the hundred comes, good; if not, there’s a happy dressing room when you win. For me, these things do not matter anymore,” he added.
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). Virat took a step closer towards his 52nd ODI century, with KL Rahul maintaining his strike rate at 100 to steer India towards victory.
Virat tried to up the ante and finish the job early for India by taking the fight against Zampa. He tried to slog it but connected with the bottom of his bat. The ball sailed to Dwarshuis, who took a straightforward catch to bring an end to Virat's knock on 84(98).
With the ball-to-run ratio going neck and neck, Hardik Pandya blazed back-to-back towering sixes off Zampa to turn the momentum in India's favour.
Hardik (28) tried to put the final nail in the coffin by seeing off the game in style. He went for glory but holed it straight to Glenn Maxwell. KL Rahul finished it off in style and smoked the ball into the stands over wide long-on to send India to the final.
(With inputs from agenies)
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