'It's going to be a challenge': Steve Smith highlights India's spin threat ahead of Champions Trophy semifinal

Australian captain Steve Smith emphasised the importance of spin bowling on Dubai's dry pitch ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal against India on Tuesday. He highlighted that their success would depend on handling Indian spinners effectively.
India showcased their spin strength by deploying four spinners against New Zealand in their final Group A match, securing a 44-run victory.

"I think not just Chakravarthy, I think the rest of their spin has quality as well. So I think for us, the game is probably how we play their spin. Yeah, it's going to be a challenge," Smith said on Monday, on the eve of the last-four match against India.
"I think there's going to be some spin and yeah, we've got to counter that. We'll see how we do that tomorrow. We've got a few options on how we can go about it," he added.
Smith expressed optimism about Travis Head's performance, noting his strong record against India in knockout matches.
"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. You know, he looked in great touch the other night against Afghanistan.

"I'm sure he's going to be looking to come out here and play the same way he's played for a long time with good intent, good aggression. Hopefully, he can get away in that power play and get results from that."
Smith addressed India's familiarity with the Dubai venue, where they've played all their matches.
"India obviously played all the games here. So they've seen what the pitch is doing. I don't know if it is an advantage. Obviously, the whole square block is pretty dry. So, we've seen how the wickets are played."
Australia's arrival in Dubai followed their rain-affected match against Afghanistan, giving them time to prepare.
"So, yeah, 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 fly here today and play tomorrow, not get a chance to train on the surface, get used to the conditions that we have at the academy," he added.

Smith discussed Australia's spin bowling options for the match.
"We do have plenty of options there. We've got Maxwell. (Matthew) Short's obviously out now. It was a bit of a loss. He's been bowling quite nicely, bowled really well last game.
"We have Cooper Connolly as well, if we go down that path. We've got a lot of part-time options that could certainly play a role here and a couple of front-liners as well," said Smith.
The Australian captain acknowledged the absence of key bowlers while praising their replacements' performance.
"Obviously we're missing some frontline bowlers that have done it for a long time. But we've got some guys here that have performed nicely. It's good exposure for them to be able to play in an international tournament.
"And I think they've handled themselves really well. So, yeah, hopefully another good performance from the guys tomorrow and we can get into another final," he added.