"Not just Chakravarthy" - Steve Smith on major challenge for Australia in 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal against India

Australian captain Steve Smith acknowledged that leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy will not be the only threat they face against India. He said their other three spinners will be equally lethal in the Champions Trophy semi-final on Tuesday in Dubai. Smith feels Australia's chances of winning will depend upon how well they counter spin in the middle overs.

Chakravarthy, who the Men in Blue drafted in for Harshit Rana for the game against New Zealand on Sunday, shone with a fifer. With a modest 249 on the board, the 33-year-old took a fifer to bundle the Black Caps out for 205. With the surface likely to assist more spin on Tuesday, India could play another four spinners.

When asked about Australia's plans against Chakravarthy, Smith said of the challenge, as quoted by 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 also said it was the right decision for them to come to Dubai early as they got a couple of days to prepare themselves and stated:

"We guessed right in the end. Ideal to be here and have a couple of days preparation. I think had we stayed and 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."

The Men in Yellow have had less game time since they beat England by five wickets in Lahore on February 22. Their matches against South Africa and Afghanistan were washed out due to showers but they were well on track in pursuit of 274 when facing the latter.

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"It's going to be a good contest" - Steve Smith

Steve Smith. (Image Credits: Getty)

When asked how much of an advantage India will have as they have played all their matches in Dubai, Smith claimed he is unsure of it.

"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."

It will also be the first ODI between India and Australia since the 2023 World Cup final, where the latter won.