India vs Australia: Key stats

In a rematch of the 2023 Cricket World Cup decider, India will take on Australia in the first Champions Trophy semifinal today in Dubai. 

Once again, the business end of an ICC tournament sets up to contain theatrics, fireworks and drama. India’s knockout contest with Australia will have it all.

There’s no question the Indians will have 2023 on their mind… and perhaps even the recent Border-Gavaskar series played down under.

One thing that can’t be questioned is Australia’s capacity to rise to the challenge in the biggest games, even without the presence of several key contributors.

So can India hold their nerve, execute and come up clutch on the big stage?

HIGHLIGHTS
*India and Australia have faced each other 151 times in ODIs, with Australia leading the rivalry with 84 wins compared to India’s 57 victories, while 10 matches ended with no result.

*The last two times India and Australia met in a major knockout match, Australia won, clinching both the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023. The last time the two teams faced each other in ODIs was also in that final.

*India have a 2-1 record over Australia in the Champions Trophy, having won in 1998 and 2000; the Men in Blue lost in 2006 at home, and the 2009 encounter between the sides ended in a no result.

*This is the first time that India will be meeting Australia in the semi-finals stage or later in Champions Trophy history; India have won twice and lost once against Australia in the competition, but the two sides haven’t played each other in the Champions Trophy since 2006.

*India will be facing Australia outside India for the first time since December 2020 when they won by 13 runs in Canberra, and have won four of their last six men’s ODIs against Australia outside India.

*Australia have won each of their last 10 completed matches in ICC ODI events, last losing to South Africa on 12 October 2023 by 134 runs; they have, however, won only two of their last five games against India in such competitions, including the most recent such meeting between the two sides in the final of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

*India are unbeaten in nine men’s ODIs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (W8 T1); a win in this game would make them just the second side to complete 10 games in the format at any ground without losing after New Zealand (P10, W10 at University Oval, Dunedin).

*Australia’s and India’s spinners have maintained a bowling strike rate of 33 and 34.3 respectively during the tournament to date, the best and second best such aggregates of any team. Only South Africa’s spinners have bowled at a better economy rate (4.1) than India’s spinners (4.5) in this tournament.

*Australia’s and India’s batters have scored 72.3 per cent and 67.1 per cent of their runs during the opening Powerplay from boundaries at the tournament to date, the best and second best such rate among all teams. Australia have scored a boundary every 4.1 balls in this phase of the innings in the tournament, the best such rate of any team.

*Spencer Johnson has induced a false shot rate of 45.1 per cent from opposition batters so far this tournament, the best such rate of any bowler; Harshit Rana (41.3 per cent) is India’s best bowler in this category.

*Virat Kohli (49) is one away from becoming just the third India player to feature in 50 men’s ODIs against Australia (Sachin Tendulkar – 71, MS Dhoni – 55). Kohli has logged 22 scores of 50+ runs against Australia in the format.

*Adam Zampa (12) needs one four-wicket haul in men’s ODIs to equal Shane Warne’s record of most such spells by any Australia spinner in the format (13); Zampa’s last four-wicket haul in men’s ODIs came in Asia (4 for 8 vs Netherlands on 25 October 2023), but he hasn’t managed to achieve this feat in any of his last 20 games in the format.

*Rohit Sharma (India) has hit a boundary every 5.2 balls in the tournament, the second best such rate of any batter to have faced at least 50 balls behind Heinrich Klaasen (5.1 balls per boundary).