Smith discusses spin challenges in Champions Trophy semi-final against India

Australia captain Steve Smith has asserted that his side will be prepared to counter spin challenges from India in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final.

The two sides will face off in the first semi-final of the ongoing tournament later today (Tuesday, March 4) in Dubai.

Ahead of the game, Australia’s Steve Smith shared that he expected the Dubai pitch to offer spin to the bowlers.

“The game’s probably won and lost how we play this spin, particularly in the middle overs, the way we get through there. 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,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

The Australia captain expressed hope that his players would adapt quickly to the Dubai conditions ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final.

“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,” Steve Smith added.

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The Australia captain was of the view that injuries to senior players ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 gave an opportunity to the youngsters to showcase their skills.

“It’s good exposure for them to be able to play in an international tournament on a big stage and I think they’ve handled themselves really well, so yeah, hopefully another good performance from the guys tomorrow and we can get into another final,” Steve Smith added.