Steve Smith takes a brutal dig at India; agitates Rohit Sharma before Champions Trophy semi-final

Australia National Cricket Team captain Steve Smith was sounded unimpressed with the India National Cricket Team having the advantage of playing all their matches in Dubai ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal on Tuesday (March 4).

Like many former and current cricketers, Steve Smith has taken a dig at the India National Cricket Team by saying that they are a better prepared side than the Australia National Cricket Team when it comes to conditions and surface at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Steve Smith questions India’s advantage ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinal

The Australian skipper acknowledged the Men in Blue’s familiarity with the conditions as they have closely observed how the surface behaves, but he was uncertain whether this would give them an edge in the semifinal clash of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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Smith said that his team’s focus remains on adapting to the conditions, executing their plans, and maintaining intensity throughout the full 100 overs, as he announced the Kangaroos are ready for the thrilling battle with the Indian cricket team to get the ticket to the finale.

It should be a good contest: Steve Smith

Steve Smith said in his pre-match press conference, “India obviously played all the games here. So, they've seen what the pitch is doing. I don't know if it is an advantage. Obviously, the whole square block is pretty dry. So, we've seen how the wickets are played. It's just playing our game, playing the conditions, and playing them well for the entire 100 overs. It should be a good contest, two good teams going at it, and yeah, looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Smith believes that the game will be decided by how well each team handles spin. The batting maestro acknowledged that Varun Chakravarthy isn’t the only threat, as the entire Indian spin attack poses a challenge, so Australia must find ways to counter the turning ball.

Read Also: Ambati Rayudu exposes Virat Kohli’s spin struggles with ‘Adam Zampa’ reminder ahead of CT 2025 semi-final

Steve Smith weighs in on India’s spin bowling threat

The Australian skipper further explained, “I think not just Chakravarthy; I think the rest of their spin has quality as well. So, I think for us, the game's probably won and lost how we play their spin, particularly in the middle overs, the way we get through there.

So, yeah, it's going to be a challenge. I think that there's going to be some spin by the looks of it, looking at the surface, and we've got to counter that. So, we'll see how we do that tomorrow. We've got a few options on how we can go about it.”

Cooper Connolly likely to play in the CT 2025 Semifinal 1

At the end, Smith highlighted the variety of spin options available for Australia. However, they have lost Matthew Short to injury, but the skipper insisted that the team still has several choices. He noted that Glenn Maxwell remains a key option, and Cooper Connolly is also available if needed.

Along with frontline spinners, Smith said that Australia has part-time bowlers who could make an impact on the conditions against the Men in Blue in Dubai, where the spin will play a big role in the match.