Australia’s star batsman Steve Smith on Tuesday (November 24) warned the Indian bowlers, saying he has “found his hands” after enduring a disappointing IPL campaign for Rajasthan Royals.
Australia will host India for three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. The marquee series will get underway with the first ODI at SCG on November 27.
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Smith, who led RR in the IPL 2020, aggregated only 311 runs in 14 games and mostly looked out of form but he has now found his “touch” and is ready to put his best foot forward.
“I was pretty disappointed with my batting throughout the IPL. For my sort of standards, I wasn’t consistent enough. I did play a few innings here and there but not consistently,” Smith said during a virtual press conference facilitated by the series’ official broadcaster ‘Sony Network’.
“I think in the last few days, people who know me well, said that I have found my hands and I am excited about it. So I plan to have a few more hits at the nets and get started in a few days time,” he added.
Asked when he felt that he has got his rhythm back, Smith replied: “It was about getting that feel in the way my hands come up. It’s hard to explain but it probably wasn’t quite being right till two days ago.”
“Then something clicked two days ago. It changes where you meet the ball. I had that big smile on my face while training the other day. It’s taken me a lot longer than usual.
“I didn’t bat for four months during COVID (lockdown) so don’t know if it took me a bit longer to get that rhythm back.”
Smith acknowledged that he tried to change his natural game during the IPL, which eventually affected his batting.
“In IPL, I got caught up with trying to be a bit more powerful and that’s not my game. There are players in the world who can hit sixes at will and I am probably not one of those.
“It is about playing the cricketing shots and manipulating the gaps available. Probably, it (natural game) went away in the IPL from doing that. So now, I am keeping the thoughts clear that I will only hit the balls in my areas.”
Smith enjoys a remarkable record against India, with 6 Test centuries and 3 ODI tons to his name.
When asked about his success against India, the 31-year-old said: “I don’t know. In a big series, I try and stand up and get the best out of myself. Ashes and India series are the two biggest and as an Australian cricketer, there is something inside me that comes out and I am not sure.”
“I have always started the first Test well against India and that gives me a bit of rhythm throughout the rest of the series. It’s something to do with that,” he further remarked.
The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.
(With PTI inputs)
