Australia batsman Steve Smith has become a headache for the Indian bowlers in the ongoing ODI series. Smith has smashed two consecutive hundred in the first two matches, helping Australia to pile up a score of 374 and 389 in the first and second ODI, respectively.
India has not been able to stop Smith, and ex-Australia spinner Brad Hogg thinks it's because of the poor strategy by Indian bowlers against him.
The Aussie stalwart is toying with the Indian bowling attack as both his hundred came very quick. He scored 105 in 66 balls and smashed the second ton in just 62 deliveries.
“The big issue for me for India was when Steve Smith came out, they didn’t attempt to bounce him out at any stage. They bowled on a good length or a little fuller. I can’t understand that, because Steve Smith’s weakness is with the short-ball,” Brad Hogg said in a video on his YouTube Channel.
“Steve Smith walks around, he was both legs planted and he is a little chest-on. So he can’t duck and leave and has to play the pull shot. You could have set the entire tour up by having Steve Smith on the back foot,” he further added.
Australia has succeeded in winning the three-match series and they are on their way to whitewash the tourists.
Hogg is surprised India hasn't used the short-pitch deliveries against Glenn Maxwell, which bothers him a lot. Maxwell has scored a quick 45 in the first match and 63* in the second game.
"And again Glenn Maxwell, just bowling full yorkers to him so that he can play those reverse sweeps. He is a player that you should bowl the short ball to and they didn’t do it enough,” Hogg said.
India and Australia will play the final match of the ODI series on Wednesday in Canberra.
