"I thought I played him really well" - Steve Smith on facing Ravindra Jadeja in India in 2017
Seasoned Australian batter Steve Smith has opened up on batting against spinners and doing so on various pitches and continents. The right-handed batter, a sub-continent specialist, shared his inputs by mentioning Australia's tour of India in 2017.
Smith will partake in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, aiming to avenge Australia's 3-0 whitewash in 2016 in the island nation. The 33-year-old, who was the captain during that tour was the visitors' best batter. He averaged 41.16, scoring 247 runs.
However, their collective batting failure was responsible for Australia's loss.
Steve Smith reveals how he will look to shift his approach against the turning ball in the upcoming Sri Lanka Test series #SLvAUS
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Smith reflected that the ball skidding on generally creates more trouble than the one spinning away. The New South Wales batter reflected on the 2017 series in India when he played Ravindra Jadeja well, avoiding getting beaten on the inside.
"Generally the ball that gets you into most trouble is the one that skids on, particularly to the ball spinning away. One that skids on gets you lbw or bowled is generally the most dangerous ball. So being content with getting caught (behind the wicket), basically to get out in a certain way. I'd be happy if I am playing for the spin and the ball doesn't spin quite as much."
Smith continued:
"Normally, it spins big and goes too far. I think the way I played probably Jadeja back in 2017. I thought I played him really well, just being content with being beaten on the outside and ensuring that I am not getting beaten on the inside (edge of the bat). For me that's important. But everyone's different with their methods, which is what makes the game more exciting."
Smith was also asked how surprising the conditions were during the first two Tests of India's tour of Australia in 2020-21. He admitted that he didn't expect Ravichandran Ashwin to get so much assistance from the surface as India won the four-match series 2-1.
He said:
"Yeah, yeah. I think probably the first couple of Tests, I probably wasn't right. Particularly in Melbourne, I didn't expect the ball to be spinning as much as it did there and the bounce that Ashwin got. You don't normally experience that in Australia as much. You can kind of sit back and just play and not be too proactive."
He added:
"And I probably didn't adapt quite quick enough there. As that series went on, I think I was able to put a bit more pressure on, and once you put a bit more pressure on, it's kind of a different story."
The former Aussie captain departed cheaply in his first three innings of the series, falling twice to Ashwin for a single-figure score. However, he scored a scintillating hundred in the third Test in Sydney.
Steve Smith opens up on his preparations for the India tour next year
When asked whether next year's India tour is already on his mind, Smith opined that it's all about adapting to different conditions as the game goes on. He added:
"The way you probably play doesn't change too much. There are some similarities. Some wickets spin a bit more, might bounce a bit more. There's also differences. Just figuring out when a surface is playing a certain way, how you're going to play and when it's playing another way, how you're going to play, when it's spinning a little bit, you try and adapt to those conditions."
Australia will travel to India in February 2023 to play a four-match Test series.
A new world record for Steve Smith!
The fastest player ever to 8,000 Test runs #PAKvAUS https://t.co/xmC7iSM7uN
The right-handed batter had a productive tour of India in 2017. Despite Australia narrowly losing the series, he hammered 499 runs in four Tests at 71.29.