IND v AUS 2020: ‘That might be the key point to get him out’ – Harbhajan Singh explains how India can dismiss Steve Smith
Australia batsman Steve Smith has looked in ominous form in the ongoing ODI series against India, and has racked up two consecutive hundreds off 62 balls each.
While all the Indian bowlers have been pulverised at the hands of Smith, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels the former Aussie captain will succumb to a spin-heavy attack.
In an interview with India Today, Harbhajan reasoned that Steve Smith likes the ball coming on to his bat, and asked for Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav to bowl at the former Aussie skipper in tandem.
“I would like to see Smith batting against spinners. You know, Yuzvendra Chahal or maybe Kuldeep Yadav coming in, in the side. They both bowling in tandem and bowl 7-8 overs of spin when Smith comes in. Steve Smith is someone who likes pace on the bat. If you take that away from him, that might be the key point to get him out,” Bhajji said after India’s 51-run loss in the second ODI.
Steve Smith demolished India in the opening two ODIs, smashing 6 sixes and 25 boundaries and racking up 209 runs in the process. He bagged the Man of the Match award in both the games.
‘I don’t see anything going wrong with Chahal,’ says the legendary Indian off-spinner
A worrying aspect for India in the ODI series has been the form of Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg-spinner (19-0-160-1) has looked lacklustre in the opening two games. Notably, his tally of 10-0-89-1 in the first ODI was the worst figures by an Indian spinner in ODI history.
Harbhajan, however, voiced support for Chahal and said that he is just taking time adjusting to Australian conditions after playing 15 matches in the United Arab Emirates during IPL 2020. Bhajji further advised the leggie to bowl slower through the air to get more purchase off the wicket.
“I don’t see anything wrong going with Chahal. It’s the conditions, it’s purely the different conditions what they get in Australia and what they were getting in UAE...It’s just as Virat said, Australians know their wicket better than others and they are taking their chances against him [Chahal].
“So, my advice to Chahal would be to keep working harder on his game and bowl a little bit slower in the air if possible and you might see some turn on the wicket,” Harbhajan, who scalped 711 wickets in 367 internationals, concluded.
After losing the first two ODIs by margins of 61 runs and 55 runs respectively, India will play the dead rubber on Wednesday (December 2), before heading on to the 3-match T20I series starting on Friday (December 4).