Steve Smith's 3 best captaincy performances vs India
Steve Smith is unarguably the greatest Test batter of the modern era. He was appointed as the captain of Australia for the third Test match at Indore in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.
After his full-time captaincy role ended due to 'Sandpapergate' in 2018, he stepped in as captain against England (Ashes 2021/22) and West Indies (2022) in the last two Australian summers at the Adelaide Oval. However, this was a much more crucial encounter with the WTC final and a potential series draw at stake.
Steve Smith equaled Greg Chappell's win record as the Australian Test captain (21). He reached the milestone in 11 fewer games (37) than Chappell.
#1 Indore, 2023
Steve Smith's captaincy in Indore has been _______
#INDvAUS https://t.co/xRzdNNEPBC
In the absence of Pat Cummins, there was tremendous responsibility on Smith's shoulders. Australia were 2-0 down in the series, despite a respectable performance in the second Test in Delhi.
Although India managed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the 4th time in a row, there was still something important at stake for Australia in the remaining fixtures.
Australia also had to win a Test to confirm their place in the WTC final without relying on other teams. Plus, winning a Test in India is one of the most challenging aspects of red-ball cricket - they have lost only three games at home in the past decade.
On a wicket that had turn and variable bounce, Smith was brilliant with his field placements. He seemed to have a plan for every Indian batter. They were executed perfectly by his bowlers. Every run was essential and he ensured that India were never in a position to run away with the game. After winning the game comfortably by nine wickets, he now has two wins on Indian soil as the Australian skipper.
#2 Pune, 2017
2017 at Pune
2023 at Indore*
Steve Smith ~ Only Captain in Last 10 years to beat India at their Home Twice in Test format
Steve Smith's Australia came to India after being whitewashed on their last Asian tour (Sri Lanka, 2016). However, the team understood the prestige of winning in India. No team had won a single Test since the start of January 2013 until the beginning of that Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He led from the front with the bat, scoring an outrageous 109 against a world-class Indian attack. He had his fair share of luck, but he ensured that he made the most out of it. His knock ensured that the game was no longer within India's reach, given they had to bat on a slow wicket.
"It was up to them to prepare a wicket and they prepared a wicket that actually played into our hands," Smith said at the post-match media conference.
India were defeated by a humongous margin of 333 runs - the highest under Virat Kohli's captaincy.
#3 Gabba, 2014
Steve Smith swats away India with fantastic 133 in Brisbane test fb.me/1gA1EvsPQ
This was Smith's first test as captain of Australia. He was a stand-in captain for the team in the absence of Michael Clarke, who was ruled out of the rest of the series due to an operation on his injured hamstring. They were 1-0 up in the series after a riveting contest against the visitors at the Adelaide Oval.
Smith could have faced one of the biggest challenges for the captain - a bowler going down early in a Test. Josh Hazlewood was cramping, Mitchell Marsh had a hamstring strain, and Mitchell Starc was holding his ribs. He also lost the toss on a wicket which is generally really good to bat on Day 1.
Smith set an example with the bat as well as on the field. He scored a magnificent 138 and took a brilliant catch to get rid of Rohit Sharma in the first innings.