Steve Smith blames 'tricky wicket' for CT semi-final loss amid 'Dubai advantage' allegations on India

Under the leadership of Steve Smith, the Australia National Cricket Team faced off against Rohit Sharma's India National Cricket Team in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The high-octane clash between Team India and Team Australia was hosted by the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4.

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I thought the bowlers did a really good job - Steve Smith

Winning the toss and batting first in the match, Australia posted a good total of 264 on the board. While defending the score, they took the game deep but were unable to stop India, and the Rohit Sharma-led team finished off the run-chase in 48.1 overs with 4 wickets in hand.

Speaking after the match, Australia skipper Steve Smith said that his bowlers were right on the money and took the game deep. He further labeled the pitch for the semi-final as tricky and said that it made batting hard.

"I thought the bowlers did a really good job, they worked hard throughout, the spinners squeezed and took the game deep.

"It was a tricky wicket to start on batting, tough to rotate the strike, everyone did a really good job tonight. It played pretty similar throughout. Little bit of hold for the spinners, little bit of spin and a bit of skid. For the pacers, it was two-paced," Steve Smith said.

We probably could have got a few more on - Steve Smith

Steve Smith further said that they should have added a few more runs to their total to pose an even bigger challenge for Team India. He signed off by saying that the Aussie bowlers did a wonderful job throughout the competition and the batters stepped up as well.

"We probably could have got a few more on. We lost a couple of wickets at crucial times. If we got 280+, things would have been different. Felt like we were one wicket too many down at each stage of the game. The way we've come together," Steve Smith said.

"The bowling unit did a wonderful job, some of the batters stood up. We played exceptionally well against England. Some really good cricketers, they are going to get bigger and better."

How did Australia perform in their previous ODI match against India?

Australia decimated India in their last ODI match, which was the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19.

With a stunning victory by 6 wickets over the hosts India, Australia bagged their record-breaking sixth World Cup title and Travis Head was the hero of the night.

Opting to bowl first, Australia started well by dismissing Shubman Gill early on in the innings. Then, Travis Head took a spectacular catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma, and from thereon, the domination of the Aussies started.

Mitchell Starc (3/55) and Pat Cummins (2/34) applied relentless pressure, not allowing India to build any big partnerships, and Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Zampa supported them very well. Despite half-centuries from Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66), India could only post 240 runs on the board.

Chasing the target, Australia suffered early setbacks as David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Steve Smith fell cheaply. However, Travis Head (137 off 120 balls) played a breathtaking innings and, along with Marnus Labuschagne (58*), steered the Aussies to a win. Their 192-run stand sealed the match for Australia as they made the Indian bowlers look clueless.