Champions Trophy semi-final: Steve Smith confident ahead of India clash
What's the story
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith is gearing up for a high-stakes semi-final against India in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025. The match will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 4. Although reminded of Pat Cummins's "silencing" statement ahead of last year's World Cup final, Smith has chosen a more low-key approach this time. "Yeah, I don't really have a message, to be honest. Just going out and playing," he told reporters before the game.
Advantage debate
Acknowledging India's home advantage
Smith also admitted to the debate over India's home advantage in the tournament. He said, "In terms of an advantage, yeah, maybe, I'm not sure. Yeah, India obviously played all their games here. So they've seen what the surface is doing." This comes amid talks of favoritism as India played all their matches at just one venue- Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Captaincy
Smith's leadership skills on display
Smith has also shown his captaincy skills during his time as Cummins's stand-in. He guided Australia to a Test series win against Sri Lanka last month and is excited to lead the side again. "Yeah, it's been fun captaining these boys the last couple of weeks," he said. "Our first objective was to make the semifinals. We've done that and coming up against a good Indian side, so yeah, we're up for the challenge tomorrow."
Pitch analysis
Smith's insights into pitch conditions
Smith also gave an insight into the pitch conditions in Dubai, hinting that spinners could be a major factor in the match. He said, "Having spoken to the groundsman just now, it's a dry surface, had a lot of traffic. So we've seen how the wickets are played." This observation comes in particularly handy as Australia gears up to face India's spin-heavy bowling attack.