Dubai, March 4: Australia's captain Steve Smith won a crucial toss and chose to bat first against India in the eagerly anticipated first semifinal of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday.
Australia has made two significant changes to their squad from the last match, bringing in Cooper Connolly to replace injured Matthews Short, and Tanveer Sangha in place of Spencer Johnson.
India, meanwhile, remains confident and unchanged, fielding the same playing XI that featured in their previous encounter.
Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.Australia: Steven Smith (c), Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
The clash between these cricketing giants promises intense competition as Australia aims to set a formidable target, while India's unchanged XI reflects the team's confidence in their existing combination.
Both teams now battle to secure their spot in the prestigious Champions Trophy final.
