CHENNAI: It was the fifth ball of the 32nd over during the Australia innings. Steve Smith had worked Kuldeep Yadav to the deep in the leg side and took an easy single at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Virat Kohli, the fielder from deep-midwicket, collected the delivery and threw it towards Kuldeep. Till that moment, it was a non-event delivery. There was nothing that made that moment matter.
But then something happened. Kuldeep evaded a straight one-pitch throw with Smith looking to see if there was another run. Luckily for Kuldeep, skipper Rohit Sharma had covered as backup, collecting the delivery. That is when Kuldeep faced the heat from both sides. On his right, a miffed Virat Kohli was yelling from the deep for not collecting the throw, and on the right, was Sharma who lost his cool for the same reason. Kuldeep, at the very moment, would not have wanted to look on either side and just go back to his mark.
Now, it might seem an innocuous on-field moment, but that was one of many such occasions that showed what this contest meant to the Indian team. In the last couple of years, they had been at the receiving end of multiple heartbreaks from the Australian team at world events. And perhaps the hardest of all came on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup final. No one would have taken it harder than Kohli and Sharma - one had the best tournament ever and the other was desperate to win an ODI WC.
These two know there is no lighter moment against Australia. That one cannot take the foot off the pedal even for the slightest second. For that is what Australia would be counting on. That is when they would bounce back and get all over their opponents. And it was evident from ball one during the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday.
From the time Travis Head miscued Varun Chakravarthy, to Smith lost the concentration against Mohammed Shami to Shreyas Iyer had a rocket-arm throw to catch Alex Carey short to Marnus Labuschagne and Copper Connolly dropping Sharma, every single moment mattered. Not once did either team look all over the other - at least not till the last couple of overs during the chase as India sealed a four-wicket win and entered the final of yet another global event - and that was what was expected when these two teams locked horns every single time.
Even when Australia posted 264 - they did seem 40 runs short for the momentum they had - it was never going to be a walk in the park for the Men in Blue. And things only got tougher when both the openers were back in the pavilion in the first ten overs.
Once again, it was down to Kohli and Iyer - the one batter Australia were wary of even during the ODI WC final. Unlike that afternoon in Ahmedabad, with a total in front of them, these two remained unwavered. It did help that Australians had a rare off day on the field and that they are playing this tournament without Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. But out there in the middle, none of it mattered. The cards had already been dealt. It was about making the most of it.
And despite Smith's astute captaincy, Kohli (84) and Iyer (45) did just that. Together, they took India from 43/2 to 134/3. Kohli got a life but Iyer didn't. Even then, Axar Patel, India's No 5 continued to thrive, kept India in the chase. It was down to the chasemaster, Kohli, who took India closer to the target before getting out to Adam Zampa. In the end, it was KL Rahul, who had the worst day possible on November 19, who hit the winning runs, a six, to take India into the final. "This game is all about pressure, if you go deep into the innings with wickets in hand the opposition gives in. The game becomes easier. When you don't think of those milestones they happen along the way, for me, it's about taking pride for the team. If the hundred comes, good, if not, there's a happy dressing room when you win," Kohli said after the match.
In sporting terms, revenge seems overrated. The win here will never bring India back the ODI WC they lost. Even another hundred wins against Australia wouldn't change that.
However, as one could see from the emotions visible after the win, this one will remain special. Because, against who is perhaps the biggest threat and obstacle between them and another ICC title, India brought out their A-game, knocked Australia out of the tournament, and in the process got one step closer to winning the trophy.
