Thu. Feb 13th, 2025

Australia’s Steve Smith admitted that the team struggled against the Indian spinners on a difficult Chepauk surface. Australia opted to bat first but were bowled out for 199, with Ravindra Jadeja taking three wickets to trigger a collapse in the middle overs. Despite a valiant effort from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, India comfortably chased down the target with six wickets and nine overs to spare.

Speaking about the match, Smith praised the Indian spinners, saying, “All their spinners bowled really nicely. Obviously, they had the wicket to suit as well. It was challenging against the spin since they are all very quality spinners. They really worked well together, and we struggled to get on top of them.” Along with Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin also took wickets for India.

In response, India’s Kohli and Rahul played crucial innings to lead their team to victory. Smith acknowledged their composure and smart cricket, saying, “It wasn’t a kind of wicket where you could just muscle it and hit boundaries everywhere. Since they were chasing only 200, they could take a bit more time, just play themselves in, which they probably needed to after being three down early on and build a partnership that they did really well.”

Smith also admitted that the wicket was challenging to bat on, and the dew in the evening made bowling difficult. He believed that Australia’s total of 200 was below par and that posting a higher score would have made the game more interesting. Smith himself top-scored for Australia with a 46-ball 46.

Looking ahead, Australia will face South Africa in their next match. Smith acknowledged the Proteas’ strong performance in their previous game and mentioned that the Lucknow wicket, where the match will be held, is unfamiliar to them. He expressed confidence in the team’s options and the ability to pick the right playing XI.

In conclusion, Smith stated, “They (Proteas) got a good side, and they are confident at the moment. They are playing well, and we watched the game the other day. It looked like a nice surface in Delhi, and they posted a massive total. Who knows (about Lucknow’s surface)? It depends on what the surface looks like and how we need to play on that. So, we wait to see till we go there and figure out. Yeah, we have a few options that we can go in with. Marcus (Stoinis) is back with the team potentially. So, we have to wait and see how we can fit them in.”

By admin