IND vs AUS: Smith Blames Difficult Pitch After Australia's Loss

IND vs AUS Match Highlights: Australia's captain, Steve Smith blamed the pitch after his team's loss to India, resulting in their elimination from the Champions Trophy. He stated that it was a very difficult wicket, making it hard even to rotate the strike at times.

India vs Australia Match Highlights: Team India secured their place in the Champions Trophy final with a four-wicket victory over Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia was bowled out for 264 runs in 49.3 overs. India then comfortably chased the target, losing six wickets with 11 balls to spare. India thus avenged their ODI World Cup defeat, eliminating Australia from the tournament. Australia's captain, Steve Smith, attributed the loss to the pitch.

It was a difficult wicket - Steve Smith

Following Australia's exit from the Champions Trophy, Australian captain Steve Smith stated, "I think our bowlers did a really good job. They toiled hard throughout. The spinners put the pressure on and took us probably a little bit further than we possibly could have gone in the match." Expressing his dissatisfaction with the pitch, Smith added, "It was a difficult wicket to bat on, and it was hard to rotate the strike at times. To be fair, it was pretty consistent throughout. There was a bit of spin and a bit of skid for the spinners."

If we had scored 280+ runs…

Smith continued, "It wasn't the easiest conditions to bat in, probably why the score was what it was. Having said that, we probably could have scored a few more runs. We lost a few wickets at crucial times. If we had scored 280+ runs, things might have been different. It always felt like we were losing one wicket more than we should have been at every stage of the game. If we had taken even one of those partnerships further, we might have got to 280."

Also criticised his bowlers

He further added, "Our bowling attack was quite inexperienced. However, they performed brilliantly throughout the match. Some batsmen played really well and scored some big runs. In that game against England, we played exceptionally well. Tonight, we also saw glimpses of some very good players. There were some very good cricketers in the changing room, and they will only get better."