Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has voiced optimism regarding Steve Smith’s ability to rediscover his top form in the five-Test series against India, which will commence on Friday in Perth.
After a century less stint at the top of the batting order, Smith will resume his normseter position at No. four in Border Gavaskar series having been inserted back into the batting order following Nathan McSweeney’s inclusion as Usman Khawaj’s partner in the red ball series.
Following David Warner’s exit from international cricket, Smith was asked to take up the responsibility of an opener – a task that bore little success on the team as the former captain endured a torrid time scoring 171 runs in four matches, averaging 28.50 with a top score of 91 not out against West Indies.
“Steve wanted to open. He was super keen to take up a new challenge. But one thing with that opportunity he had was he wasn’t actually batting at his best at that time. So he got an opportunity to open and Steve Smith at his very best would have made the most of it because he just loves scoring runs opening or at No 4. You could see it a few times he got out when he was opening – his game and his technique was a bit off in those occasions,” Watson stated on the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast.
During the latest ODI series played in Pakistan, Smith managed to score 44 runs and 35 runs respectively, showcasing his skill before the crucial series against India.
“In the one-day series (against Pakistan), in one of the innings at the MCG – wow, that was the greatest he has ever batted. Jeez, it was like he had all the time to play all the shots. I have no doubt that he will bring that version of Smith this summer and whether he bats at No 4 or opens the innings, he will get the runs,” said Watson.
Smith has played 109 tests and scored 9685 runs with an incredible average of 56.97. In the format, he has 32 hundreds and 41 fifties. This right-handed batsman has scored the fourth most Test runs for Australia after Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh.
