AUS v IND 2020-21: "I like to prove people wrong", Smith recalls crowd reaction upon comeback post ban

Smith discussed his mentality at the time with India captain Virat Kohli in an interesting chat.

Virat Kohli and Steve Smith discussed a range of topics | screengrabAustralia's premier batsman Steve Smith recalled the crowd reaction when he stepped on the field at the highest level after enduring a one-year ban. 

That game was the 2019 World Cup campaign opener for Australia against Afghanistan where Smith didn't receive the warmest of welcomes after coming back post involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering saga. 

WATCH- Virat Kohli and Steve Smith sit down to discuss cricket

Smith discussed his mentality at the time with a fellow batting great, Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, in a video posted by the BCCI over Twitter. 

"I just loved the noise, regardless of what people are saying, even if it is negative towards me it's just noise. Obviously, there was some negative stuff when I first came back but I like to prove people wrong and stay in a positive mindset. I just played and had fun," Smith told Kohli. 

Days later in the World Cup, when India faced the defending world champions at the Oval, Kohli came in defence of Smith after a section of the crowd booed him, urging them to instead clap for the man. 

During their conversation, Smith also revealed to Kohli how he changed his stance in the middle of a knock in 2013 against England. 

"They (Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes) were bowling shorter stuff and I was struggling to get out of the way. So I thought I needed to get in a better position to play a pull shot," said Smith. 

"So I thought why don't I go to middle and leg and just go a bit back and across the stumps and get myself in a good position and I started doing it and when they bowled short I was in a good position to hit it."

"If we play in different conditions we have to adapt accordingly. You cannot play the same everywhere. In that match, everything just clicked in the place, so when they bowled full I was in a good position to defend. I knew where my off stumps were," he added. 

Smith and Kohli will be up against each other once again when Australia host India for the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting Thursday (December 17). 

(With ANI inputs)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 17 Dec, 2020

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