As Steve Smith gears up to lead Australia in the upcoming third Test against India, he has received some encouraging words from former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
Steve Smith has been appointed as Australia’s stand-in captain in absence of Pat Cummins who is currently at home with his ill mother. The former Australia captain will be donning the captain’s hat once again for the third Test, scheduled to begin on Wednesday (March 1) in Indore.
Steve Smith was the captain when Australia last toured India for a Test series in 2017. He had led his team to a win the first Test although the visitors went on to lose the series by 2-1. The right-handed batsman had enjoyed a stunning series with the bat, finishing the 4-match series as the highest run-scorer.
Ravi Shastri on Steve Smith the captain:
With Steve Smith all set to don the captain’s hat once again, Ravi Shastri has opined that the Australia star understands the tempo of cricket in India better than Pat Cummins. Writing a column for the Age, Shastri also said that the added responsibility of captaincy motivates Smith to do well.
“Australia do have a ready-made replacement at the top in Steve Smith. And I think that will work for them. The responsibility of captaincy seems to bring that different kind of mindset. His concentration levels seem far higher, and you just have to look at his batting average as captain. It is outstanding. He is one of those players who thrives on the extra workload of leading the side,” said Shastri.
“There’s also the added element of how Smith will lead Australia here. He’s got a great understanding of Indian conditions, having led here before and also all the years he’s spent playing and captaining in the IPL. He understands the tempo of cricket in India better than what Cummins would have,” Shastri added.
Writing further, Shastri stated that the visitors have a good chance of putting up a big score in the Indore Test following the return of their allrounder Cameron Green.
“With Cameron Green coming back, Australia have six proper batters and even if two of them come off, they could score close to 300 and more in their first innings. That is key in Indore,” said Shastri.