Australian captain Steve Smith acknowledged on Tuesday that India’s familiarity with Dubai’s conditions could provide them with an advantage in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final, but he expressed confidence in his team’s ability to counter the threat.
During a pre-match press conference, Smith avoided making any aggressive statements about “silencing” the Indian crowd, emphasizing instead that his team was focused on executing their strategies effectively.
“Yeah, I don’t really have a message to be honest. Just going out and playing, and hopefully, we can put on a good show,” Smith said when questioned about the challenge of playing against a home-favored crowd.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, enters the match with an unbeaten record, having secured dominant victories over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. Their recent win, a 44-run triumph over New Zealand, showcased their spinners’ effectiveness.
Smith recognized India’s advantage of playing all their group-stage matches in Dubai, admitting that the pitch could be a decisive factor.
“Maybe, I’m not sure. India have played all their games here, so they’ve seen what the surface is doing. The whole square block is pretty dry, and having spoken to the groundsman just now, it’s a dry surface with a lot of traffic,” Smith observed.
The Australian captain highlighted that effectively handling India’s spin attack, especially during the middle overs, would be crucial for his team.
“Not just (Varun) Chakravarthy, the rest of their spinners are quality as well. For us, the game is probably won and lost on how we play their spin, particularly in the middle overs. We’ve got to counter that,” he said.
Australia’s campaign has been inconsistent, with a strong win against England followed by two rain-affected matches. Despite this, Smith expressed confidence in his players, particularly opener Travis Head, to perform under pressure.
“There’s pressure every time you play in a big game. But as we know, Travis has stood up in many of those in the past. He looked in great touch the other night against Afghanistan. Hopefully, he can get away in that power play and get results from that,” Smith remarked.
With the pitch expected to favor spinners, Australia will need to develop a strategy to counter India’s bowling, which has been their strength in the tournament.
The semi-final will take place at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the final.
