Virat Kohli in runs again as India beat Australia to reach Champions Trophy final in Dubai


Paul Radley
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Dubai International Stadium will stage the Champions Trophy final on Sunday after India clinched their place by beating Australia.

Virat Kohli’s renaissance continued as he played the innings which underpinned the run chase.

He might have fallen short of a second century in the space of three matches in this competition, but his 98-ball 84 turned the game in India’s favour. They eventually sealed the win by four wickets.

The competition has nominally been hosted by Pakistan. But India’s advance to the final will mean five matches will have been staged on neutral territory in Dubai.

The final, which starts at 1pm on Sunday, will be switched from Lahore, with India set to play the winners of Wednesday's second semi-final, between New Zealand and South Africa.

Much has been made of the advantage India have had by being able to base themselves at one venue for the duration of the event.

Fate has handed some change to their opposition too, though. Steve Smith, Australia’s captain, called correctly ahead of the semi-final.

It was the 14th time in succession Rohit Sharma has lost the toss before a one-day international.

Smith opted to have first use of a wicket which has generally been dusty and conducive to spin throughout the competition.

India again went with an attack packed with slow bowlers. Varun Chakravarthy retained his place after his spectacular five-wicket haul on his tournament debut against New Zealand in the previous game.

He did not get the chance to celebrate quite so many times this time around, but the impact he made was just as vital.

Travis Head has been India’s tormentor so often in the recent past, snatching world titles from them. After a tough start at the hands of Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya, he had just started to find his range.

The opener had hit 39 from 32 balls before perishing right at the start of Chakravarthy’s spell.

Australia had to steady the ship once Head had gone, and they had the ideal candidate for it in the form of captain Smith. He anchored the innings with 73 and shared in half-century partnerships with Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey.

Carey’s 57-ball 61 gave the Australians the impetus required to post a testing total.

It would likely have been more than the 264 they were eventually bowled out for were he not run out by a brilliant direct hit by Shreyas Iyer, which brought to mind Martin Guptill’s dismissal of MS Dhoni in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.

India benefitted from some fortune at the start of their reply. Rohit was dropped twice in the first three overs, both difficult chances, by Cooper Connolly and Labuschagne.

Connolly dismissed him soon after, but Kohli was also granted a reprieve when Glenn Maxwell dropped him when diving to his right at full length.

India were 30-1 after five overs when Kohli entered the fray. By the end of his stay, the score was 225-5 with just over seven overs left.

It was the sort of platform on which Pandya usually thrives. The all-rounder launched two sixes straight over long off from the bowling of Adam Zampa, to both thrill the crowd, and settle their nerves.

Pandya also fell just before the job was done, caught on the boundary rope trying to finishing it with the six required.

Instead, it was KL Rahul who did the needful, launching Maxwell over the rope off the first ball of the penultimate over.

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May 20, final

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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1987

1954

1921

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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Background: M&A, investment banking

Studied: Corporate finance

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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How being social media savvy can improve your well being

Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.

As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.

Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.

Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.

Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.

However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.

“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.

People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

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Updated: March 04, 2025, 4:48 PM`