KOLKATA: Milestones are supposed to be occasions of joy. The thought of Thursday will bring delight to Australia skipper Steven Smith, no doubt, since his team’s second ODI against India will mark his 100th ODI. But not without a tumult of other emotions following in its wake. Concern may probably top that list, with the weather gods being one among the instigators for that sentiment.
With forecasts of showers opening up the possibility of a truncated game — a factor that did play a role in their derailment in Chennai — the 28-year-old may have to thoroughly mull over his team’s final combination, especially in terms of their top-order. An injured Aaron Finch saw Hilton Cartwright take his place at the top in their first clash, only to fail. That, coupled with the probability of a variable innings in terms of overs, may pose a permutation conundrum for the Men from Down Under.
Smith, though, seems to be approaching the issue in a stoic manner. “It is certainly something to think about. To begin, we’ll turn up tomorrow, expecting to be play a full 50 overs. If things change from there, we’ve got to adapt and do what needs to be done. We weren’t good enough batting in the 21 overs that we had in the last game, and certainly we’ve got to do a lot better.”
If that worry wasn’t enough for the Fab 4 member to contend with, Australia’s performances in both Tests and ODIs over the past few months have resulted in questions being levelled at his efficiency with the reins, with predecessor Michael Clarke being a recent example.
Smith shrugged off those brickbats while keeping his sights trained on the immediate future instead. “I don’t think I’m in a bad place with my captaincy. Obviously results haven’t been the way we would have liked, and that’s something we are trying to rectify. Our guys are working hard, and it’s all about going out in the middle and getting the job done. It was a disappointing start to the series the other day, but we’ve got another game tomorrow to turn things around.”
All these worries didn’t sour the one-down batsman’s mood, though, as he went on to reminisce about his ODI journey so far, while citing his ton against India during the 2015 World Cup semifinal as his 50-over crown jewel. “It was a pretty big game, and it was good to get a big score there. I think we lost a wicket pretty early. I was able to form a partnership with Finch. I’ll say that’s probably one of the better one-day hundreds on a big occasion,” he remarked.
“I think I’ve evolved a lot as a white-ball player. When I first started, I played more as a bowler in my first 30-odd games. I had to change a bit. I’ve been batting at No 3 for a while now. I had to find the right tempo. You learn as you play.”