The upcoming fourth and final Test between India and Australia might become a very special game for Steve Smith. The right-handed batsman will be leading the team in absence of Pat Cummins.
Smith will be high on confidence after leading Australia to a famous win over India in the third Test. India have lost just 3 Tests at home since 2017 and Smith was the captain in two of those defeats. The Australia stand-in skipper will be gunning for more glory in the fourth Test, scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad from Thursday (March 9).
No team has managed to leave India without losing a Test series since the 2012/13 season and Australia will have an opportunity to do that. Smith could stop India from winning a Test series at home for the first time since losing the series against England in 2012/13 season.
Ahmedabad could be last for Steve Smith:
What could make the upcoming Test even more special for him is that it could be his last in India. Steve Smith will be 37 when Australia next visit India for a Test series in 2027. And Steve Smith has hinted that he could be playing his last Test in India this week.
“I probably can’t see myself coming back really, if I’m being realistic,” Smith said on Wednesday. “But we’ll wait and see, take it day by day – four years is a long time.
“… There’s plenty of dialogue there (with selectors), just talking about what’s coming up, what’s important and all those kinds of things. You want your best players available in particular for the big tournaments or big series.
“The schedule is pretty busy these days so having guys in a good headspace to go out and perform is important. There’s plenty of talk around that,” he added.
In any case, Steve Smith will be looking to finish the series on a high. In a series where batsmen from both the teams have struggled to score big, the Australia stand-in skipper has not been an exception either like in 2017 when he finished the series as the highest run-scorer.