NEW DELHI: India and Australia are set to battle in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai on Tuesday, marking their first ODI meeting since the 2023 World Cup final. Despite Australia’s dominant win in Ahmedabad, former captain Ricky Ponting believes India will enter the contest as favourites.
“I think India are going to start favourites in this game,” Ponting told The ICC Review. “They haven’t had to move and travel. They’ve been training on those wickets all the time. Australia have rushed in to Dubai to get ready.”
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India topped Group A with an unbeaten run, while Australia secured their semi-final spot as the second-ranked team in Group B with four points. While some might wonder if India are still haunted by their World Cup final defeat, Ponting dismissed such concerns and suggested it could even serve as motivation.
“You would hope that would be left behind in the dressing room that night,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of experience, a different coach. Maybe they haven’t even talked about it. Or maybe they use it as motivation.”

India’s most recent victory — a 44-run win against New Zealand — showcased their ability to recover from challenging situations, something Ponting believes is a key strength of this side.
“They had to find a way to stay in the game and shift momentum,” he noted. “Shreyas (Iyer) and Axar (Patel) did a great job. They bat deep. Even when they’re in trouble, they have high-quality players to step up.”
Ponting highlighted the depth in India’s batting, making them a dangerous opponent even if their star players don’t deliver.
“If Rohit doesn’t fire, Virat doesn’t fire, they still have Iyer, Patel, KL (Rahul), Hardik (Pandya). They have players who can get the job done in big moments.”
While India’s familiarity with the conditions gives them an edge, Ponting cautioned against underestimating Australia, particularly in high-stakes matches.

“India will start favourites, but I’ll never tip against an Australian team,” he asserted. “These are the moments where they play their best cricket.”
He also addressed the potential impact of the toss, noting that conditions in Dubai might not favour chasing as much as they did in Pakistan earlier in the tournament.
“If there’s no dew, whoever wins the toss should bat first. The wicket will probably slow down later. If Australia bat first, I think they have a much better chance than if they chase.”
Ponting’s insights add further intrigue to an already thrilling contest between two of cricket’s biggest powerhouses. While India will aim to avenge their 2023 World Cup final loss, Australia will look to once again rise to the occasion when it matters most. With both teams boasting world-class talent and big-match experience, the stage is set for a semi-final showdown that could go down as one of the tournament’s defining moments.