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'Nervous' Rohit Sharma Hopes To Do Things Right Against Australia In Champions Trophy Semis

Soumyajit Dutta

Rohit Sharma [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Rohit Sharma [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

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India captain Rohit Sharma hailed his team’s resilience and adaptability after a commanding 44-run victory over New Zealand in Dubai sealed their top spot in Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Blue, now unbeaten in the tournament, will face Australia in a blockbuster semi-final on March 4.

Meanwhile, speaking at the post-match conference, Rohit Sharma heavily emphasised the need to "get everything right on that particular day" against a side renowned for its ICC pedigree, as the Men in Blue eye for their third title win for the Champions Trophy.

Rohit Sharma Wants To Stay Focused For Australia Fight

While celebrating India’s group-stage dominance with a 3 out of 3 win, Rohit shifted focus to the semi-final challenge, saying that they have to be cautious against the Men in Yellow.

"Australia has a rich history of playing well in ICC tournaments - about us to do things right, we have to be focussed on what we need to do on that day - looking forward to that, hopefully we can stitch one towards us," Rohit asserted, acknowledging the stakes.

Further, the skipper also highlighted India’s ability to rectify errors swiftly in a short tournament highlighting India's overall team improvement.

"Absolutely, it's very very critical to get things right in such a short tournament. You try and possibly win every single game. When you try to win, you will make mistakes as well. You need to rectify them quickly and I think we have done exactly that so far. That is where you know that your team is going up rather than down."

On the win, Rohit praised the boys and was happy with their performance against New Zealand and maintained the positive intent.

"Yeah it was very important for us to finish off the group stages on a high. We played some good cricket in the recent past and it was good to defeat a quality side like New Zealand."

India’s Spin Web Stifles New Zealand

Opting to bat first after losing the toss, India stumbled early to 30/3 as Matt Henry (5/42) ripped through the top order, dismissing Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and later Hardik Pandya. 

However, Shreyas Iyer’s gritty 79 off 98 balls and Axar Patel’s 42 stabilized the innings, steering India to 249/9. Despite Henry’s heroics, New Zealand’s chase crumbled under India’s spin dominance. Varun Chakaravarthy, handed a surprise debut in the match and scripted history with a mesmerizing 5/38 to dismantle the Kiwis for 205.