Steve Smith couldn’t have scripted a better start to his career as a Test captain. The 25-year-old has scored centuries in the first innings of his first two Tests in charge of Australia.
After his 133 in Brisbane, Smith plundered 192 at the MCG, taking Australia from 115 for 3 to 530. It was an innings rife with contrast. When he came in to bat on the first day of the Test with his team in trouble, he bided his time and remained patient. His first run came off the 18th delivery he faced.
On the second day, he took a backseat and was happy to run singles with first Brad Haddin and then Ryan Harris who went on the attack at the other end. Then, with about half an hour to go for tea on day-two, Smith took charge. In his last 23 balls, he scored 30 runs before missing a straight delivery off Umesh Yadav and getting bowled.
Smith said it was a pattern he had planned keeping in mind the match situation, the conditions and the Indian bowling attack.
“I started pretty slow yesterday, didn’t I? It was just about being patient and letting the bowlers keep coming back and tiring them.
“They have only got three quick bowlers and a spinner. So, the longer we keep them out there, the more overs they will have to bowl and more tired they will get. That would give us more scoring opportunities later on.
“That was the plan. We knew that even if we have periods where we don’t score many runs, we will be able to catch up later on. It worked out well.”
About the attack he launched on the bowlers just before tea, Smith said he was preparing for a declaration.
“I was going to declare at tea and so we were trying to get as many runs as we could before that. It was pretty fun to be honest to play a few shots towards the end.”
When asked whether he was disappointed to miss his first double century in Test cricket, just by eight runs, the Aussie captain said he had no regrets. “Not really. I was just trying to score quickly and got out to a silly shot. But that’s okay.”
India got off to a decent start in reply to Australia’s 530, finishing the day with 108 for 1 on the board. Smith said the conditions are still good for batting but disciplined bowling in the first session on day-three will fetch them rewards.
“It would have been nice to take a few more wickets this evening but if we start well in the morning by getting the ball in the right areas, we will get some rewards.
“The wicket is still pretty good. The occasional one takes off a bit and if we maintain good lines, we will create enough chances,” he said.
