Australia’s hopes of making it into the Champions Trophy final hinge on how well their batters can perform against India’s potent spin attack in their semi-final meeting in Dubai, captain Steve Smith said on Monday.
India claimed a 44-run victory over New Zealand in a Group A clash on Sunday to qualify for the semi-finals unbeaten, with spinner Varun Chakravarthy taking 5-42 in a match-winning display.
“It’s not just Chakravarthy, I think the rest of the spinners are quality as well, so I think for us the game’s probably won and lost how we play this spin,” Smith told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s match.
“Particularly in the middle overs, the way we get through there. It’s going to be a challenge. There’s going to be some spin by the looks of it, looking at the surface.
“We’ve got to counter that. We’ll see how we do that tomorrow. We’ve got a few options of ways we can go about it.”
India have played all their matches in Dubai after the country’s board (BCCI) refused to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy due to political tensions, with the pitch at the Dubai International Stadium favouring spin.
Australia will also be looking to take advantage of the spin-friendly surface by deploying Adam Zampa, but the veteran leg spinner conceded that he has performed below his best level at the tournament.
Asked if he would bowl a couple of overs against India, Smith, a part-time spinner who has taken 28 one-day international wickets, said: “I hope not. We do have plenty of options there though.
“We’ve got Tanveer Sangha in our squad. We’ve got (Glenn) Maxwell, (Matt Short), obviously out now, who’s a bit of a loss. He’s been bowling quite nicely, bowled really well last game.
“Travis Head can bowl, Marnus (Lauschagne) can bowl some overs, Cooper Connolly if we go down that path as well. We’ve got a lot of part-time options that could certainly play a role on here and a couple of front-liners as well.”
