Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Mar 4: Australia have won the toss and chosen to bat first against India in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.

Making strategic adjustments, Australia introduced two changes to their lineup, with Cooper Connolly replacing Matt Short and Tanveer Sangha coming in for Spencer Johnson. Skipper Steve Smith emphasized that the decision to bat first was influenced by the dry nature of the pitch.

"We’ll have a bat. It looks like a pretty dry surface. The guys have had a couple of sessions and are ready to go. The pitch should take some turn. India is a very good side. We have made two changes—Cooper Connolly replaces Short, and Sangha replaces Johnson," Smith stated at the toss.

Meanwhile, India opted to field an unchanged team, with captain Rohit Sharma expressing confidence in his squad’s ability to adapt to either scenario.

"I was prepared for both. When you’re unsure, sometimes it’s better to lose the toss. The pitch keeps evolving, so playing good cricket is key. We’ve performed well in all three games so far, and we’ll look to maintain that momentum. Now that we’re bowling first, the focus is on restricting Australia to a manageable total," Sharma remarked.

In a touching tribute, the Indian team is wearing black armbands in honor of the late Padmakar Shivalkar, the legendary left-arm spinner who passed away on Monday. A giant in Indian domestic cricket, Shivalkar was revered for his immense contributions to the sport.

Playing XIs:

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

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