Ravindra Jadeja Stops Marnus Labuschagne: ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final between India and Australia has been full of action. One moment, in particular, caught attention when Ravindra Jadeja stopped Marnus Labuschagne, leaving Australia’s captain Steve Smith frustrated. The incident took place at the Dubai International Stadium, where Smith was seen expressing his displeasure to on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth.
Jadeja Blocks Labuschagne – The Controversial Moment
The drama unfolded on the second ball of the 21st over. Smith punched the ball towards Labuschagne, who was looking for a run. However, Jadeja stretched out his right foot, blocking Labuschagne and preventing him from taking a single. The replays suggested that the ball might have even hit Labuschagne’s bat before rolling towards mid-wicket, where Rohit Sharma collected it.
Jadeja’s move left Smith unimpressed, as he felt the Indian spinner deliberately stopped Labuschagne. Former England captain Nasser Hussain, who was commentating, noted, “There was a hug right there at the end, Smith not happy with Jadeja stopping Labuschagne.”
Jadeja Dismisses Labuschagne
The incident did not end there. Just an over later, Jadeja got his revenge by dismissing Labuschagne for 29 runs. The left-arm spinner bowled a delivery that drifted towards leg stump and skidded after pitching. Labuschagne tried to play it on the back foot but misjudged the line and was struck on the pads. Umpire Richard Illingworth immediately raised his finger, and despite a brief discussion with Smith, Labuschagne chose not to take a review.
This was the fourth time Jadeja had dismissed Labuschagne in ODIs. The Australian batter has scored 120 runs off 180 balls against him, losing his wicket on four occasions.
Jadeja Strikes Again – Australia in Trouble
Jadeja did not stop there. He soon picked up the wicket of Josh Inglis, leaving Australia in a difficult position at four wickets down in the 27th over.
Australia’s Batting Fightback
Earlier in the match, Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first. Australia made two changes, bringing in Tanveer Sangha and Cooper Connolly for their first game in Dubai this tournament. However, their batting lineup struggled early on. Mohammed Shami dismissed Connolly for a duck, while Travis Head played aggressively before falling for 39 to Varun Chakravarthy.
Despite India’s strong bowling performance, Australia has started to recover. Captain Steve Smith and Alex Carey have steadied the innings, building an important 51-run partnership off 54 balls. As a result, Australia has reached 195/4 after 36 overs, setting up an exciting final phase of the innings.
