Former Australia captain Steve Smith is unsure of his batting position in the Test team for the 2023-24 Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series at home. Steve Smith expressed his willingness to bat wherever the team management asks him in the upcoming much-awaited Test series later this year.
Australia has tried Smith as an opening batsman after veteran opener David Warner’s retirement from Test cricket. However, this decision did not provide positive results for the national team. The right-handed batsman has amassed 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.50 with a best score of 91.
Australia faces the challenge of finding a suitable opener for the Test series against India. Smith has to contend with a bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj against the new ball. The Pat Cummins-led team is also considering the option of demoting Smith in batting.
There are conversations happening in the background – Steve Smith
When asked about his role as Australia’s opener in the series against India, Smith said he had not thought about his role in the team. Smith added that Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne want him to bat at No. 4, but he is willing to bat anywhere for the benefit of the team.
“I have no idea, there are conversations in the background. I think Usman said he liked me at number 4. I think Marnus has similar thoughts. We will wait and see. “I’m happy anywhere, I’ll bat anywhere for the team, but we’ll see what happens,” Smith told reporters.
‘Happy Anywhere’ – Where should Steve Smith bat, 🇦🇺 fans? pic.twitter.com/PpBb7pny45
-ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 4, 2024
Steve Smith averages over 50 at several top-five positions in addition to the starting spot. At number 4, he scored 5,966 runs in 111 innings at an average of 61.51, including 19 centuries and 26 fifties. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne have expressed concerns about Smith’s batting position.
It’s going to be a wonderful series – Steve Smith
The Border-Gavaskar series has been expanded from four to five Test matches this season. Steve Smith is excited about the five-match series, adding that playing a longer series will not allow players to hide from their opponents. Smith added that this change will make for a wonderful series.
“It’s fantastic to be able to play a five-game series against them. You can’t really hide in a five-Test series like you probably can in a two-match series. If someone criticizes you, it can be difficult to recover from that. “It’s going to be a wonderful series,” Smith said.
The two best teams in the world right now – Steve Smith
The 35-year-old is optimistic about Australia’s chances of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He added that his experience and strong record against India will be crucial to the team’s success. Smith said he captained Australia during their last BGT win in 2014-2015.
“We are probably the two best teams in the world at the moment in Test cricket. We played in the final of the World Test Championship last year and beat them there. They have been very good here the last few times, they played some very good cricket. I hope we can change the situation. It has been 10 years since we last won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. We need to do it this year,” Smith said.
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