- Dec 2, 2024
- Apr 2, 2023
With the 20 -20 World Cup nearing, all sides will be looking to iron out their flaws and then put the best eleven on the park so that the side is able to deliver the best result possible. This is the case for the number one team in the T20Is and the current T20I World Champions, Australia. They will be next seen squaring it out against India in a three-match series.
For Australia, it is a chance to test the depth of the squad with the likes of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stonis, who are usually the frontliners on the Australian side, missing out on this series due to injuries. It will be interesting to see how the Australians will approach the series.
This will also give the ace batter Steven Smith a lifeline to prove that he is still worth his weight at the top of the batting lineup. If he piles on the runs against the Indians in this series, it will help him stake a claim for a spot in this highly competitive Australian side. The way the dynamic of the Australian side is made up anyone could leave their place for anyone, and people are picked on form and not on the basis of name or reputation.
Australia skipper Aaron Finch reckons that Steve Smith will come good in the India series and that he will deliver on the runs. Finch said that Steve Smith, with his unorthodox technique and the range of shots that he has got, he can turn a game on its head and put pressure on quality oppositions any day.
“Most likely he (Steve Smith) will bat at three in this series with Mitch Marsh being out,” Finch told reporters ahead of the first T20I. “We know the quality that Steve’s got. He is one of the best players that has ever played the game over all formats of the game. So, we know the skill that he has got and the game sense and the tactical nous that he has got.
“So we are really confident that regardless of what role he has to play within the structure of the squad, that he can do that very, very well,” he added.