India players wearing black armbands: The highly anticipated India vs Australia semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 got underway on Tuesday in Dubai.
India headed into this contest on the back of three wins in three games in the group stage, being the only team across the two groups to earn six points in the group round.
Australia, though, didn’t lose a game either: they defeated England before their games against South Africa and Afghanistan ended without a result due to rain.
This is Australia’s first match in Dubai in this competition, having played their three group games in Pakistan.
Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bat first.
While India have retained their playing XI that beat New Zealand, which means India will persist with their four-spin-two-pace attack, Australia have ringed two changes to the XI that took the field against Afghanistan: spin-bowling left-handed all-rounder Cooper Connolly comes in for the injured Matthew Short, and leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha replaces pacer Spencer Johnson. Considering the spin-friendly Dubai pitch, Australia have bolstered their spin attack with Sangha and Connolly.
The Indian players were seen wearing black armbands against Australia.
IND vs AUS: Why Are India Players Wearing Black Armbands In Against Australia?
The Indian players are wearing black armbands against Australia in memory of late former spinner Shri Padmakar Shivalkar, who passed away on March 3.
Shivalkar played 124 first-class matches, in which he claimed 589 wickets at an outstanding average of 19.69 but never got the opportunity to play for India. He was honored by the BCCI with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
India vs Australia playing XI:
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
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
