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Would love to win a Test series in India: Smith

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Smith also said that he would love to have the IPL this year even if not right away. - AFP file
Smith also said that he would love to have the IPL this year even if not right away. - AFP file

Sydney - The former captain also revealed he was one of the 12 or 13 spinners tried after Shane Warne

By IANS

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Published: Tue 7 Apr 2020, 9:14 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2020, 11:25 PM

Australian batsman Steve Smith said that winning a Test series in India is something that he hopes he can do in his career. Australia have won only four Test series in India and their last win came in 2005, five years before Smith made his debut.
"I'd love to win a Test series in India," said Smith in an interaction with Rajasthan Royals spin bowling consultant Ish Sodhi in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise's Facebook page.
"As an Australian cricketer, the Ashes and the World Cup is big but India are the No.1 team in the world. It's a very difficult place to play Test cricket, so would love to win a series there," he said.
Smith had captained Australia to a massive 333-run win in the first Test against India in Pune during the 2017 series. However, India fought back to win two of the next three Tests and won the series. I
Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were particularly devastating in the series, the pair Taking 25 and 21 wickets respectively. Smith explained what made Jadeja so difficult to play in the subcontinent.
He said that the best spinners are always consistent with their length and know how to mask their variations. "If you can hit the good length consistently, especially if it is a wicket that is offering spin, then you are in," he said.
"Someone like Jadeja in the subcontinent -- why he is so good is that he just hits that good length. One ball skids out, one spins but it just looks the same out of the hand."

'Was one of the 12 or 13 spinners tried after Warne'

Steve Smith said that he has always been more of a batsman than a bowler. Smith had made his initial foray into international cricket as a leg-spinner and said that he was just one of many players that Australia tried out to fill the spot left vacant by the legendary Shane Warne.
"I was probably always more of a batsman than a bowler," said Smith. "I got picked in certain teams as more of a bowler which was different. Obviously played my first two Test matches as a specialist spinner which was strange in a way."

Smith came on at number eight on his Test debut against Pakistan in 2010 at Lord's, replacing current Australian Test captain Tim Paine at the crease who was also making his debut. He lasted just seven deliveries and scored a solitary run before being dismissed by Danish Kaneria. He didn't bowl in the first Pakistan innings but took three wickets in the second. 

"They were looking for a spinner after the Shane Warne era and tried plenty of options in that time. Now we have got Nathan Lyon who is doing a terrific job but I was one of the 12 or 13 spinners that they tried. I got dropped after that and for me I felt I can find a way back into the team through my batting. So at that point I let my bowling slip away a bit," said Smith. 

The 30-year-old said that he started spending more time in the nets on is batting after getting dropped instead of spending equal time on both. "Before that I was mixing and matching between batting and bowling and working on both in a session in the nets. Then it got to a point where, if a session is of three hours in the nets, I'd be doing probably two and half hours of batting," said Smith. 

"Obviously I had to find a method that worked for me as well, which takes time. I was still at stage playing in the middle-order for New South Wales. It takes time to build the confidence to keep doing it. Eventually I got back into the team by scoring runs for New South Wales and sort of never looked back since then." 

Smith has since gone on to be recognised as the best batsman in the world in the longest form of the game. He boasts a Test average of 62.84 in 73 Tests and has scored 26 centuries. 

After spending a year away from the game due to a ban that was imposed because of his role in the 2018 ball tampering scandal, Smith announced his return to the Test arena by smashing 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes series.
Smith also said that he would love to have the IPL this year even if not right away. 
"Plenty going on in the world at present, but hopefully we can get an IPL at some stage. The two seasons that I captained the Royals were both half seasons, Shane Watson gave me the captaincy in 2015 and then last year out of the blue I took over at the back end of the season. Looking at having a crack at it full time and the Royals have a pretty good squad," he said.


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