The world of the Internet had been rife with tension and elation as India captain Rohit Sharma and ace batter Virat Kohli captured the action-their determination-to make Ravindra Jadeja bat with just six runs left for India to cross the lineup into the finals of the Champions Trophy.
There were only a few runs left to win with quite a few deliveries remaining, yet every Indian fan was submerged in tension, and the Indian dressing room was no different, as can be seen from this recent video shared by the BCCI.
Even when everything was going out of sorts, Kohli looked the most relaxed at that time, even though Rohit had a pretty confused expression on his face when the men in the middle were KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. Once the latter was dismissed and Jadeja came in instead, Kohli said, “Maarne to chhakka hi ja raha hai who:
Scenes last night 🥹🫂 pic.twitter.com/spQEB8fgMD
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Kohli didn’t finish the chase for India ever, but his measured 84-run innings led the team to their fifth Champions Trophy final after a very convincing four-wicket victory over Australia.
Australia will now have to host the final match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai after India managed to get to this position because the men under Rohit would not be traveling to Lahore owing to security issues.
This match was witnessed by the Player of the Match, Kohli as he anchored an Indian batting unit who ended the Australia innings on 265 in the second last over, having been set a target of 264 after the Australians managed 264 courtesy of joint efforts between their skipper Steve Smith and Alex Carey.
India will now be waiting for the winner of the second semi final between South Africa and New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday.
Kohli turned out brilliant while Shreyas Iyer supported him well at the crease as the two formed a match-winning 91-run partnership for the third wicket and calmed the nerves after the early dismissals of Rohit and Shubman Gill.
Australia missed several of their top superstars, but India had not beaten them in the knockout stages of an ICC tournament since that fateful quarterfinal of the 2011 World Cup.
In fact, India had also lost to Australia in the semi-finals of the World Cup of 2015, finals of the 2023 World Test Championship and ODI World Cup that same year.