At the conclusion of the 40th over during India's pursuit, KL Rahul engaged in a conversation with Virat Kohli during the drinks interval. His demeanor indicated that he was urging Kohli to remain at the crease until the end. With India requiring 65 runs from 60 deliveries, Rahul resolved to adopt an aggressive approach. This moment was one of several significant instances in the Champions Trophy semi-final held in Dubai. Rahul struck a four and a six within his next five balls, effectively alleviating the pressure on Kohli. He then took a single to return the strike to Kohli, with India needing 40 runs from 45 balls. Kohli was just six runs shy of his 52nd ODI century. One of two inevitable outcomes occurred: while Kohli would readily acknowledge that the more crucial result—India's victory and progression to the finals—was achieved, he would also concur that a century and a more fitting conclusion to his innings were deserved.

After maintaining a steady pace throughout the chase, Kohli, in an uncharacteristic manner, attempted a slog sweep against Adam Zampa at a moment when it was unnecessary, resulting in a catch to the long-on fielder. KL Rahul, positioned at the non-striker's end, was so disheartened that he felt compelled to express his frustration to Kohli. Indeed, you read that correctly.

"I was going after the bowling," he remarked to Kohli as he passed by. More than the disappointment of Kohli missing a well-deserved century, the loss of his wicket revitalized the Australian side, which likely contributed to Rahul's inability to contain his feelings. His reaction stemmed more from disappointment than anger, particularly as Kohli's dismissal followed Rahul's six in the same over, with India needing less than a run per ball.

Thankfully for India, Rahul held his nerve and did nothing uncharacteristic. He remained unbeaten on 42 off 34 balls and finished the match with a six in the first ball of the 49th over to help India enter their fifth Champions Trophy final. In between, he had Hardik Pandya for company, who played a cameo of 28 off 24 balls before holing out to long on.

Kohli's masterclass in beating Australia

The solitary misstep does not diminish the exceptional performance that Kohli delivered. He received commendable support from Shreyas Iyer, who contributed 45 runs, as they forged a partnership of 91 runs for the third wicket, stabilizing the innings following the early exits of captain Rohit Sharma (28) and Shubman Gill (9).

Although Australia was missing several of their key players, India had not triumphed over them in the knockout stages of an ICC tournament since the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup.

Kohli, however, was resolute in his intent to rectify this situation. The pitch for the semifinal was newly prepared and significantly smoother than those used in earlier matches.

Kohli is adept at capitalizing on such favorable conditions, and his nearly flawless control allowed him to maintain the required run rate.

A challenge for Kohli in One Day Internationals has been his difficulty in accelerating against spinners, yet in this instance, he effectively countered leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who had previously troubled him on several occasions.

The 36-year-old utilized his pull shots and drives, two of his most effective techniques, to great advantage, placing the ball in the gap between sweeper cover and mid-wicket for easy, low-risk runs.

He lost the support of both Iyer, who played some exquisite shots, and Axar Patel (27) in quick succession, but Kohli reached his half-century in just 53 balls.

Glenn Maxwell's drop of a catch on Kohli's score of 51 off left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly was seen as an early indication of a forthcoming century.

However, that milestone eluded him, as a misdirected shot off Zampa was caught by Ben Dwarshuis near long-on when India was just 40 runs shy of victory.

Read Also: India Defeats Australia in Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final, Secures Final Spot

"Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!"