Australia’s hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from India largely rest on Steve Smith, but Deep Dasgupta believes Rohit Sharma and his team would be more than happy to see Smith continue opening the innings. Smith, a highly successful middle-order batter, took on the role of opener after David Warner’s retirement, playing against West Indies and New Zealand. However, this switch hasn’t yielded the desired results, as Smith has managed only 171 runs in eight innings, with a top score of 91* in Brisbane. In contrast, he has excelled in the middle order, where he has accumulated nearly 6000 runs batting at No. 4.
Dasgupta is convinced that Indian bowlers would welcome Smith’s decision to open during the five-Test series. Recalling a recent conversation with Smith, Dasgupta revealed the Australian star’s intentions for the upcoming series, something that might play into India’s hands. Smith had a massive impact during Australia’s previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, scoring 769 runs in four matches, and if India can dismiss him early, his decision to open could give India an advantage.
“If you’re an Indian, you’d be happy to see Steve Smith opening. You don’t want to see Steve Smith batting at 4… Starting to open? It’s a different ball game you know… Anyone who has played any level of cricket will tell you that middle order in Test cricket and opening are two very different jobs,” Dasgupta said on talkSPORT Cricket.
Dasgupta recounted his encounter with Smith, saying, “I bumped into him recently and I asked him ‘You opening? What’s that about? And I did ask him ‘Are you going to open against India as well?’ And he said, ‘yeah, I am thinking about it.’ I said ‘yeah, you should, why not?’ Because it’s quite baffling.”
Smith’s record against India has been strong, with standout performances in 2014-15 and 2017. However, his numbers dipped in recent series, including a modest 145 runs from four Tests in 2023. Dasgupta remains puzzled by Australia’s decision to make Smith open, suggesting it might be a temporary solution, though he struggles to see the reasoning behind it.
“I can understand that he’s not scoring runs and you’re trying to still find a place for him… But that wasn’t the case, was it? I don’t know. I found it very surprising,” Dasgupta added.