Australia batsman Steve Smith on Tuesday said he did not play Ravichandran Ashwin well in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval and is looking forward to countering the India off-spinner in the Boxing Day fixture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ashwin got Smith caught at slip for just one in the first innings with a delivery that did not turn. Smith said it was his mistake against what he thinks was decent bowling.
“He (Ashwin) is a good bowler, he has played a lot of cricket. He is a world-class performer. Unfortunately, he got the better of me the other day, I will hopefully learn something from that and move forward and play him in the next game…I just nicked one that didn’t spin. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes and I thought it was pretty well bowled. The two balls prior to that spun a bit and got grip off the wicket. The next one was more of sidespin and just skidded on. I didn’t play as well as I could. That was just decent bowling,” Smith told reporters in a virtual media interaction while recalling the dismissal on the second day of the first Test.
“Playing in Australia to playing in India is completely different. The ball probably doesn’t spin as regularly as it does in India…at times he got over the top of the ball and at other times, in my dismissal, for instance, he came rounded and tried to skid it on. So, good piece of bowling,” added Smith.
The Aussie’s failure to get going in the first Test was a rare occasion he failed against India. Despite his failure, the Aussies managed to pull off a convincing win, thanks to their bowlers who shot India out for 36, the lowest Test total for the Indians.
The visitors go into the next Test, starting December 26, as a depleted side. Their skipper Virat Kohli will be missing as he returns to attend the birth of his first child.
Smith was asked by an Indian reporter about what India should do to make a comeback. He replied, “I think it is important to keep moving forward. Look at yourself individually at what you could have done better which I think is important enough after any game…whether you bat well or you don’t. You reflect what you can do in the next game or in the rest of the games for the series to have an impact…Again every individual is different. The way they take their dismissals, how they think about their game after it is finished.”
The 32-year-old also said the Indian team still has plenty of quality in their bowling despite the absence of Mohammed Shami. But he says Shami and Ishant Sharma’s absence will be a big loss for the Indian team.
“They have obviously lost some experience and some quality players. So obviously we will take some confidence with the way we played in the end and keep moving forward…I still think they have got some quality bowlers here. I think Saini or Siraj if they go down that route. I think they are two quality bowlers that can have some good Test careers. Obviously, they are missing Shami and Ishant as well which is a big loss for them,” said Smith.
“…We are not thinking about India and how they are going to come back. It is just about executing the things that we need to do in the middle and doing it to the best of our ability,” the former Australia skipper said ahead of the second Test that will be telecast live on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3, and Sony Six.
