The Men in Blue had to wait 472 days to get their revenge on the Baggy Greens

Since last year, India has converted every final into a trophy. In 2024, the team won the ICC T20 World Cup, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025 and the Asia Cup in September 2025. However, since 2011, India has not been able to touch the ICC ODI World Cup.

The Men in Blue missed the trophy by inches on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad against Australia by six wickets. This loss wasn’t India’s first at the hands of Aussies in an ICC final or knockout game. Despite India’s progress and dominance, Australia has often proved to be a hurdle hard to cross for India in its path.

However, earlier this year, on March 4, India finally had its revenge over Australia after a wait of 472 days.

India vs. Australia

After securing the top spot in Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India faced Australia in the semi-final. Batting first, Australian batters were well contained by Indian bowlers. Travis Head, who had been haunting India for a long time, was shown the exit door at 39. The only other credible innings were played by Steve Smith and Alex Carey, who added 73 and 61 runs, respectively.

(Credit- News18)

Shami was the star Indian bowler with three wickets to his name with an economy of less than five in 10 overs, whereas Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakaravarthy picked two wickets each, stopping Australia at 264 runs.

India’s collective effort

The Indian batting line-up gave a joint effort to chase the target, starting with Rohit Sharma, who added 28 runs, followed by Virat Kohli’s massive innings of 84. Shreyas Iyer scored 45 runs off his willow, and down the order, another 27 runs came from Axar Patel. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya also made crucial contributions of 42 and 28 runs, respectively.

(Credit- NDTV Sports)

India chased down the target of 264 runs by scoring 267 in 48.1 overs with four wickets to spare – the Men in Blue finally had their revenge.

Sharma’s statement

In the post-match ceremony, Sharma reflected on the tough competition and stated, “Till the last ball is bowled, nothing is certain. Halfway through the game, we felt it was a reasonable score, and we have to bat really really well. I thought we were very clinical with the bat. We were very calm and composed.”

(Credit- Mint)

The Men in Blue eventually won the ICC Champions Trophy final by defeating New Zealand, adding another ICC trophy to their cabinet. Having won numerous trophies in limited-overs cricket, India’s sole aim now is to bring back the ICC ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in 2027.