Steve Smith has been the ultimate difference-maker for India in Test matches for Australia. In 10 Tests, he averages over 84 and has smashed seven tons against them. His absence in the 2018/19 series due to the one-year ball-tampering ban was sorely felt as Australia lost the series 1-2 which allowed India to become the first Asian nation to win a series Down Under. Steve Smith has returned and in the two ODIs in Sydney, he blasted 62-ball tons to help Australia to a great series win and he will be expected to do the same. In the 2014/15 series, Steve Smith smashed four centuries and scored over 700 runs as Australia won the series 2-0. Incidentally, this was their last series win against India.
However, heading into the first Pink Ball test in Adelaide, the hosts have had a slight worry as Steve Smith missed the practice session on Tuesday due to a sore back but Australian skipper Tim Paine said that he would be fit for the match. When asked as to how India and Virat Kohli will target Steve Smith, the Indian skipper had a solid response in the pre-match press conference.
“The back has nothing to do with the plans for Steve Smith or any batter. Our plans are sorted. We have to make sure we execute the plans brilliantly. We need to get the breakthroughs and dismiss them at the right time. We are not focused on what is their playing 11. We are focused on what we can do as a team,” Virat Kohli said.
In the past, there have been instances of bitter animosity between the two sides. In 2017, Virat Kohli just stopped short of calling Steve Smith a ‘cheat’ during the DRS brainfade in Bangalore. There was plenty of abuse off the field and Virat Kohli mentioned that some friendships were over after the end of that series which India won 2-1.
However, in the wake of the ‘sandpapergate’ scandal which saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft banned for a year, there was a change in approach by Cricket Australia and the amount of sledging has been low. The added factor of playing in the IPL on a regular basis may have calmed things down but Virat Kohli has maintained that there will be aggression and expressed hope that it will not be personal.
“This year has made people realise a lot of things which might not have been necessary in the past. Tensions are pointless. We need to be positive and aggressive in the body language. It will not be too personal. We are contributing to a larger cause. At the end of the day, the unnecessary stuff will be filtered out. Australia have changed their approach to an extent and have been playing the IPL. Everyone is grateful for being back on the field. Cricket must be competitive and banter is going to go on here and there. There will be tension, stress and emotions flaring occasionally. I don’t foresee things getting personal anymore. We are getting smarter in the few years of our career,” Virat Kohli said.