India’s 44-run victory over New Zealand on Sunday ended the suspense surrounding the semi-finalists for the Dubai match on 4 March. Notably, India, the top-ranked team in Group A, will take on Australia, the second-ranked team in Group B. The two teams also met in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the Men in Blue suffered a heartbreaking defeat that will still be fresh in their minds.
Australia vs India semi-final preview:
Rohit Sharma’s men will be looking to avenge the pain inflicted by the Aussies in the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, Australia will be looking to maintain their strong record in ICC tournaments.
The key thing to note here is that this Australian team is not like the teams of the past, lacking in both experience and talent. Australia is without many of their top players, including the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, as well as all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis (early retirement) and Mitchell Marsh.
Just before the semi-final, Australia announced that Mathew Short had also been ruled out of the tournament, with Cooper Connolly named as his replacement.
Meanwhile, India seemed to have got the conditions right and were flying high with their batsmen looking in top form and their bowlers – especially the spinners – not only managing to restrict the flow of runs but also taking wickets at regular intervals.
When is the India vs Australia semi-final:
The semi-final between India and Australia will be played at the Dubai International Stadium on 4 March. India have played and won all their matches at this venue, while Australia will be playing their first match here.
How to watch India vs Australia semi-final?
The 1st semi-final between India and Australia will be broadcast on the JioStar network, which includes Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Tamil HD, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Telugu HD, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Sports18 – 1, Sports18 – 1 HD, Sports18 – 3, Sports18 – 2 and Star Sports First.
For online viewers, the match will be live-streamed via the JioHotstar website and app.
