Australian batsman Steve Smith on Sunday (November 29) after his second ton for the ODI series against India, said a more sensible approach at the crease is yielding better results for him and is the secret behind his stellar form at the beginning of the home summer.
Smith played the starring role in taking the hosts to their mammoth score of 389/4 with another imperious knock of 104 from just 64 balls.
Read Also: Adam Gilchrist lauds Steve Smith's expanded range after successive ODI tons
The indomitable right-hander helped Australia win by 51 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
"I felt good from ball one," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony on being awarded 'Man of the Match'," as quoted by ANI. "It was another great foundation set by Finch and Davey. It's just summing up conditions and what's in front of you. Against India, you need to score big totals. Fortunately, it's come off."
"I am batting with more finesse now and that's worked. Tried to slog the balls hard a couple of weeks ago. It (records) doesn't bother me, nice to score some runs for the team. The boys were outstanding in the field too," Smith added.
Smith rightfully acknowledged the wonderful foundation laid by openers Aaron Finch (63) and David Warner (83) as they put on 142 runs for the first wicket.
While Smith dominated the proceedings, Australia needed the other end to be taken care of in order to push the game beyond India's reach on a flat pitch. It's here that Marnus Labuschagne (70) and Glenn Maxwell (63*) did their job commendably.
The Indian bowling unit had one of its worst outings in recent years, with the struggles of lead weapons Jasprit Bumrah (1/79), Mohammad Shami (1/73) and Yuzvendra Chahal (0/71) exposing the team's depth.
The Indian batting looked a class apart in the chase with their form and rhythm but the pressure of the asking rate was enormous. Captain Virat Kohli (89) and KL Rahul (76) played the stand-out knocks while the rest chipped in as India managed 338/9 in response.
Josh Hazlewood (2/59), Pat Cummins (3/67) and Adam Zampa (2/62) delivered fine spells. The form of the two bowling line-ups was once again the difference between the two sides.
The third and final ODI will be played on Wednesday (December 2) in Canberra.
