Teams should settle on number with Steve Smith, says R Ashwin

Steve Smith struck 65* after Day 1 of fourth Ashes Test. (Source: Reuters)

R Ashwin has come out in full praise of Australia skipper Steve Smith who has been in sublime form in the ongoing Ashes. The right-hander continued his blazing form on the opening day of the fourth Test against England by standing unbeaten on 65 runs at stumps at Melbourne Cricket Ground. At close of play on Tuesday, Australia are 244/3 with the Ashes already in the bag and next target being a repeat of the 2013-14 clean sweep.

Among many praises that have come Smith’s way ever since the Ashes began, R Ashwin was the latest to join the list. He wrote on Twitter, “One day teams will need to talk to Steve Smith prior to a test match and settle down on a number that both parties agree upon. Insane Stuff”.

Smith is the leading scorer in the series and has so far scored 491 runs from five innings at an average of 163.66. He scored an unbeaten 141 in the first Test in Brisbane to get the team out of a logjam and went better in the third Test, at Perth, to get highest Test score with 239. The 239-run knock ensured he finished as the man of the match and proved to be the difference maker in the two sides before closing out the contest in a win by an innings and 41 runs.

On Tuesday, he came in to bat after the fall of David Warner with Australia’s scoreboard at MCG reading 135/2. To further highlight his prowess, he has had to modify his technique after being involved in a freak accident in the run up to the fourth Test. He was hit on the hand during a practice session and conceded that he may need to be a more orthodox, top-handed player in this match.

In 2017, Smith has scored 1192 Test runs from 11 matches at an average of 74.50 with five hundreds and three fifties in the year.