"I wasn't too surprised with the way India came at me last summer" - Steve Smith
Seasoned Australia Test batter Steve Smith shared his thoughts on India's bowling plans against him last summer. Smith said that India's pace-bowling attack outsmarted him in the first two games before he scored a hundred in the third.
India's bowlers restricted Smith's run-scoring by bowling straighter lines and not giving him width during the four-match Test series. The visiting captain also employed packed leg-side fields to prevent Smith from settling in at the crease.
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Speaking to cricket.com.au, Steve Smith said that he wasn't too surprised by India's tactics, and felt that the visitors were successful in drying the runs off his bat. He said in this regard:
"I wasn't too surprised with the way India came at me last summer. It was more about just trying to stop me scoring for a lot of the time – they were just trying to 'out-patient' me, in a way, and I think they probably got the better of me in the first couple of Tests, and then I got going in Sydney, where I actually started to bat a bit better as well."
Smith, ranked second in the Test batting standings, could not live up to his lofty standards as Australia suffered a series loss at home. The New South Wales batter averaged 44.71 in four Tests, scoring 313 runs.
"I think I've got my game pretty well-set now" - Steve Smith
Smith, who is set to face England in the upcoming Ashes series, feels confident of dealing with their bowling attack after tweaking his batting technique slightly. He aims to adapt and constantly improve as bowlers formulate new plans against him.
"I think I've got my game pretty well set now, and then I think there's just minor tweaks that need to come in place depending on who I'm playing against, where I'm playing and what's coming at me," said Smith.
"Being able to adapt is the most important thing for me in terms of longevity; people come up with different plans – different fields, different ways of attacking you – and it's up to you to be good enough to counter what comes at you. That for me is what I try and improve each day – just my thought process on how I want to go about it."
The former Australian captain has been a nemesis for England, emerging as the highest run-getter across both teams in each of the last two Ashes series.
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He will be keen to maintain his dominance over the arch-rivals and help the hosts retain the urn in the upcoming Ashes series.