Patience, preparation key to successful run, says Smith

The star batsman singled out Indian speedsters Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav as bowlers with potential.

April 20, 2015 05:34 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 04:49 pm IST - Mumbai

The 25-year-old middle order batsman credited T20 cricket for developing the art of pacing his innings in the shorter formats. Photo: Vijay Soneji

The 25-year-old middle order batsman credited T20 cricket for developing the art of pacing his innings in the shorter formats. Photo: Vijay Soneji

Australia’s captain-in-waiting, Steve Smith, attributes his calm demeanour and the preparation process for his highly successful run, in terms of batting, over the last few years.

“Probably just my patience and preparations. I am preparing the same way for every game, making sure I am doing the same things over and over with my routines,” said Smith.

“When I get out in the middle I am starting the same each time and trying to build an innings, give myself a chance before I start playing any big shots. That’s probably the secret to my success,” he explained.

Smith felt the exposure of playing against these bowlers helped a lot in his preparations.

“We knew what to expect from Indian bowlers. A lot of their bowlers, I have seen quite a bit. It’s part of international cricket. It was just one of those things that every time I came up against them I managed to get some runs. It was a good (Australian) summer for me,” he said modestly.

The “good summer” fetched Smith, who also excelled in the subsequent World Cup for champions Australia by logging 402 runs in 8 games at an average of 67, a whopping 769 runs.

His four Test tons included a near double of 192 in the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in which he was also the team’s captain.

Smith, who captained the side after the first Test following a hamstring injury sustained by Michael Clarke, complimented the Indian side for giving his team a tough fight and singled out speedsters Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav as bowlers with potential.

“They [Team India] are a very good cricket side. They have got some good young bowlers coming though. I think Varun Aaron was one that really impressed me. The pace and aggression I guess he showed throughout was really good. Umesh Yadav was another one that’s got a lot of potential as well,” said Smith who scored a ton in each of the four Tests.

The 25-year-old middle order batsman, who started his career as a leg spin bowler before becoming a top class batsman, also credited T20 cricket — like the Indian Premier League in which he currently plays for Rajasthan Royals — for developing the art of pacing his innings in the shorter formats.

“I enjoy playing any cricket. T20 cricket is great for cricket. It has certainly taught me a lot, particularly about pacing my innings when it comes to limited overs forms of the game and I think IPL has been great for that as well.”

“The youngsters get lot of opportunity to play in similar situations. It’s a terrific learning curve for any young player.”

Asked about chances of Royals clinching the IPL crown for the second time, Smith — who led the team in the first four games when Shane Watson sat out, expressed the optimism that the team would reserve its best for the play-offs.

“Yes, we have always got that belief. We started the competition well, being five [wins] from five [games]. So, hopefully we can continue to play some good cricket and play our best cricket, come the business end [play-offs],” he said.

Smith played safe when asked about the likelihood of him taking over the captaincy from Clarke who has already retired from ODIs after leading Australia to their fourth World Cup crown.

“It’s up to the selectors and the Board [Cricket Australia] back home. It was a really enjoyable experience to captain Australia in Michael’s absence. I learnt a lot. It was a terrific experience with a lot of leadership group around [to help],” he said.

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