Today, March 4, the D-day as India is facing Australia in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. Australia brought tow changes, got Cooper Conolly in place of Matthew Short, and Spencer Johnson has been replaced by Tanveer Sangha. However, India will play an unchanged squad. This match is probably more than just a semi-final clash between two teams, but an apt stage to heal the deep wounds implanted in the Indian fans since their defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup. If not an exact Déjà vu for the Indian team, it’s the same top 4, and India is walking to the semifinals undaunted, unlike the rest. Meanwhile, Australia hold an 84-57 advantage over India in their 151 encounters, with 10 matches ending without a result. Undoubtedly, Travis Head will be India's major target, while the rest of the batter, especially Josh Inglish, is another name of concern, especially after a windy innings against England in their first match of the tournament. Even though the match against Afghanistan was washed out, Head seemed to turn on his evil mode against the opponents. The team is running without their prime bowlers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, but their stand-in captain Steve Smith is making good use of the available resources. Read also: IND vs AUS Live: ICC CT 2025 Semi-Final 1 - Ball-by-Ball Commentary Coming to India, captain Rohit Sharma’s form is yet a concern. Similarly, after the century against Pakistan, Virat Kohli seemed to have been doomed a bit, but will hopefully rise today as it is his 50th face-off against the Aussies. Even if Glenn Philip’s catch gets sidelined, the shot was absolutely an unnecessary false shot. Keeping Ro-Ko aside, Touchwood, the team’s middle order is in red-hot form. Thanks to Shreyas Iyer at number 4, whose composed batting has been a major rescue for the Indian team both against Pakistan and New Zealand. Axar Patel has been phenomenal with all his responsibilities—the bat, ball, and on field. The latest addition in the team, Varun Chakravarthy, spun his web last night, taking 5 wickets, and is hoping to be a threat again, against Australia. Notably, India and Australia have been provided a new pitch for the semifinal and is hoping to not be friendly as batting one. Playing XI for Australia and India: Australia: Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.