Australian captain Steve Smith admitted that leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is not the only threat his team will face against India. He emphasized that India’s other three spinners would be just as dangerous in the Champions Trophy semi-final on Tuesday in Dubai.
According to Smith, Australia’s success will largely depend on how well they handle spin during the middle overs. Chakravarthy, who replaced Harshit Rana in India’s lineup for the match against New Zealand on Sunday, delivered a match-winning performance with a five-wicket haul.
Defending 249, the 33-year-old bowled out New Zealand for 205. With spin likely to be key on Tuesday, India may field four spinners. Smith discussed the challenge against Chakravarthy, as per ‘The Hindustan Times’:
“I think not just Chakaravarthy. I think the rest of their spin is a quality as well. So I think for us, 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. We’ve got to counter that.”
The 35-year-old emphasized that arriving early in Dubai was the right decision, allowing them a few days to prepare.
“We guessed right in the end. Ideal to be here and have a couple of days preparation. I think had we stayed and we waited for last night’s result, we would have had to have flown here today and played tomorrow, not get a chance to train on the surface or get used to the conditions that we have at the academy.”
“And if we had to go back, we would have just got on the same plane back as New Zealand and had a day there before playing. So it made sense to us.”
“It will be a competitive match”- Steve Smith
When questioned about India’s advantage of playing all their matches in Dubai, Steve Smith admitted he was uncertain.
“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. Obviously, the whole square block’s pretty dry.”
“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. And India have obviously played really well in their games as well. So it’s going to be a good contest. We’re looking forward to it.”
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