Steve Smith was going through a rough patch of form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having scored only 10 runs from his first four innings. However, great batsmen always find a way to come back to their very best, and that is exactly what the 31-year-old managed to do.
Speaking to the Sony Sports Network after the end of the day’s play, Sunil Gavaskar explained why he feels Steve Smith is one of the greats of the game. Although he is unorthodox in the way he bats, Smith is mighty effective, and his runs speak volumes about his impact as a batsman.
Steve Smith did not let Ravichandran Ashwin get the better of him at SCG
Ravichandran Ashwin was proving to be successful against Steve Smith in the series, having dismissed the Aussie twice already. However, the 31-year-old looked determined from the very first ball not to let the off-spinner dominate him.
Smith used his feet brilliantly and collected a few boundaries off Ashwin’s bowling. He looked comfortable against both pace and spin, not letting the Indian bowlers settle to a particular line or length.
Steve Smith has already added 60 runs for the third wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, and Australia would be happy to have ended a rain-hit day one on 166-2. The 31-year-old is looking well set, and these are ominous signs for Team India.
While Australia will hope that their two best batsmen occupy the crease for as long as possible, the visitors will need to pick up early wickets on day two to ensure that they are still in the game.
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