Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), March 4: As the much-anticipated semi-final between India and Australia approaches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, cricket enthusiasts in Varanasi have shown their unwavering support for the Men in Blue. The match is set to take place on Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium.
India and Australia have met four times in ICC ODI tournaments since India’s quarter-final victory at the 2011 World Cup, with each side winning two matches. India’s victories came in the round-robin stages of the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, while their defeats came in the 2015 semi-finals and the 2023 final.
As both teams gear up for this high-stakes encounter, which marks a significant difference in the form of both sides since their last meeting in November 2023, Varanasi’s cricket community is buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
Saifi Ahmed, a coach at a local cricket academy, shared his thoughts: “Both teams are equally matched. Whoever plays better will win. We all want Team India to become the Champions Trophy winners. With our strong spin attack, I believe Team India will perform well, and we will be champions.”
Local resident Deen Dayal Mishra emphasized India’s advantage, stating, “Our spinners will have an upper hand on the slightly slow Dubai track, which could make things difficult for Australia. Our focus should be on strategizing against Travis Head. The whole country will cheer for Team India.”
In a show of devotion and support, cricket fans performed the Maha Aarti at Sarangnath Mahadev Temple, with the temple priests chanting the Mahadev mantra, hoping for India’s victory. A cricket fan at the temple expressed confidence in India’s chances: “We prayed for Team India’s win against Australia at Sarangnath Shiva temple. We have high hopes from Captain Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli should replicate his brilliance against Pakistan. India will definitely reach the final.”
With both teams set to give their all in the semi-final, the excitement among Indian fans is palpable.
Squads:
- India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
- Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.