Steve Smith recalled his first Test appearance in India in 2013 and how, for the first time, he batted as a specialist batter. Smith, one of Australia’s most prolific red-ball run-getters, played in the Mohali Test in 2013, 18 months after his last Test appearance, as Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja faced suspension for lax disciplinary standards.

The right-handed batter scored 92 runs in the first inning and five more in the second. In the final match in Delhi, he scored 46 and 18. Smith quickly established himself as one of the greatest Test batters of the modern era and continues to score runs for Australia. Smith recalled the 2013 Mohali encounter to cricket.com.au ahead of the first Test against India on Thursday, February 9.

“Firstly, that I did my homework, so I got an opportunity to play. That was my first Test back after I played two as a bowler and three as an allrounder. For me it was my opportunity to get myself back into the team. I’d worked really hard in the year or so prior to that just focusing on my batting after I let my bowling go.”

“It also gave me a lot of confidence coming back here the next time in 2017” Steve Smith

The New South Wales batter believes the 2013 tour served as a springboard for his successful four-year visit to India. He elaborated:

“It was what I always wanted to do, to play for Australia as a batter. Then to get my opportunity and play well in that game and then to get my opportunity in that next game – I think I got 40-something in that last game at Delhi on an awful wicket, which gave me a lot of confidence as well.”

“It also gave me a lot of confidence coming back here the next time in 2017, to know that I’d scored some runs against a couple of bowlers that were playing in that series in ’13 as well. So I took a lot out of it. I always thought I could play reasonably well against spin, but then adapting to what the conditions were here was really important because playing spin here is so different to back home.”

Steve Smith stated ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy that the team that can handle spinners well will win the series, stating:

“I think it will come down to batters who can score the most runs. I think both teams’ spinners are going to take a fair chunk of wickets. It’s just going to be who’s going to score the more runs. Hopefully, it’s us.”

---