Australia bat first against India in Champions Trophy semi-final

AUSTRALIA captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat against India in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday.

The winner will face either South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday.

Australia made two changes, bringing in batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly and leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha in place of Matthew Short and Spencer Johnson.

Connolly, who bowls left-arm spin, was added to the squad after Short was ruled out of the tournament due to a thigh injury.

Australia began their campaign with a win against England, but their next two group matches were abandoned due to rain.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, remain unchanged from their previous match against New Zealand.

Their XI includes four spinners.

India have won all three of their group matches.

They are playing in Dubai after declining to travel to Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan due to political reasons.

This match is the first ODI between India and Australia since the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, where Australia won.

The second semi-final will be played in Lahore on Wednesday.

Teams

Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

(With inputs from AFP)