March 4, 2025: On Tuesday, during the first semi-final of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian Cricket Team wore black armbands to pay their respects to the late Padmakar Shivalkar, one of India’s greatest cricketers. Shivalkar, a legendary left-arm spinner who dominated domestic cricket, passed away on Monday in Mumbai at the age of 84.
Shivalkar’s contribution to Indian cricket was immense, particularly in domestic cricket where he played a key role in Bombay’s dominance in the Ranji Trophy. He was instrumental in 10 of Bombay’s victorious campaigns from 1965-66 to 1976-77, with the team securing the title in all but one of those seasons. Notably, he made a remarkable comeback at the age of 47, playing two matches in the 1987-88 season. His legacy as a skilled spinner who never got to play for the national team remains a cherished part of India’s cricket history.
As the match unfolded, Australia’s captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first against Rohit Sharma’s India. The semi-final clash was anticipated to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams having faced each other four times since India’s 2011 World Cup quarter-final win. India and Australia have each won two of those encounters, including India’s victories in the 2019 and 2023 World Cup round-robin matches, and their heartbreaking losses in the 2015 semi-final and the 2023 final.
The match between India and Australia, now set in a vibrant Dubai crowd, was shaping up to be a historic one, with both teams looking to continue their World Cup journey.
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI):
Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India (Playing XI):
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.