ODI World Cup 2023: Steve Smith leaves Shane Watson stumped with his reply ahead of final vs India

Australia recently beat South Africa by three wickets in the second semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 16 November. Australia’s opening batsman Travis Head’s stellar performance while chasing a low target made Australia win the game effortlessly. 

After the game, Australia’s former captain Steven Smith got in a candid chat with Aaron Finch and Shane Watson to talk about the team’s performance in the final match of the ODI World Cup 2023. Australia will meet India for the final match of the ODI World Cup 2023 on 19 November at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.  

Australia’s former all-rounder Shane Watson questioned Steven Smith about Australia’s plans against India for the final match. However, Smith dodged the question and talked about India’s performance throughout the tournament as they became the only team to remain unbeaten and win all the league games. 

Steve Smith on Travis Head’s Performance against South Africa

“How would Australia beat India in the final?” Questioned Shane Watson, to which Steve Smith replied, “Good question! They are playing really good cricket. I don’t think they have lost a game in this World Cup. They are playing well, they are going to be playing in front of 130,000 screaming fans. Yeah, it’s going to be a great atmosphere, I am looking forward to it.” 

“It’s a kind of pitch that suited his bowling. He got a couple to skid on and a couple to turn. He got a couple of pretty crucial wickets. Klaasen was looking nice again, we knew how dangerous he could be. Jansen, the first ball, was a pretty big wicket as well. It was a handy couple of wickets from him”, said Smith. 

“The way he is batting, he is playing very aggressively. If he gets away from you and bats significant time, he is going to post a big score. So fingers crossed, he can get us to another good start in a couple of days,” he added.