I'm a natural leader: Steve Smith

You've said earlier that you probably started too soon as a Test cricketer and didn't have the patience. What were the things you did after being dropped in 2011 to improve purely as a Test batsman?

Yeah, look, I think I did start too early, but it probably held me in good stead for when I got another opportunity. After that stint against England at home in the 2011 Ashes, I was able to go back to the first-class system and learn my game a little bit more, work on my defence, work on my mindset, know that I can leave a lot of balls, particularly in Test cricket, and just build an innings. So that's one big thing that I learnt.

Ever since that 92 in the first Test against India in Mohali in 2013, you haven't looked back in international cricket. Did you expect to have the kind of run you've had with the bat over the last couple of years?

I don't think you can expect something quite like that. Once I got back into the team, I wanted to be successful and after that first game back in Mohali, I had a little bit of a lean time in England during the Ashes there. But since then, everything has been going really well, and hopefully it continues that way.

Would you rate the recent Test series against India, where you scored a heap of runs, as your best performance so far in international cricket? Did you do anything different in terms of training for that series?
Well, probably in terms of the runs that I scored, it was the best series that I've had in international cricket. But in terms of preparations, I didn't do anything different, really. I think in the last 18 months my process has been the same, the way I've trained has been the same and the way I go out in the middle and do my business has been the same. So nothing changed.

How much did getting the captaincy in that second Test in Brisbane help your confidence as a player?

I'm not sure that it helped my confidence in any way, to be honest. I think it was a great experience to be able to captain Australia in Test cricket. It was a bit of a dream come true for me. It was something that I learnt a lot from.

You were among a handful of young players selected by Cricket Australia to go on a leadership course a couple of years ago. Would you call yourself a natural leader?

I think I'm a natural leader. I've captained a lot of sides that I've played while growing up and coming through the ranks. So I think captaincy is something that does come pretty naturally to me.

A host of former players including Ricky Ponting have backed you to become the next ODI captain. That must be a huge confidence booster for you, isn't it?

I guess it's nice to hear things like that from such respected players. I think captaincy is not something that you ask for, it's something that is bestowed upon you, I suppose. To have had an opportunity to captain Australia so far has been magnificent, and yeah, if it comes up again in the future, that would be great too.

How satisfying was that match-winning century against India in the World Cup semifinal? And then to go one step ahead and lift the trophy...

Well, I think in one-day cricket, it's probably up there with one of the best innings I've ever played. To play under high pressure circumstances in a World Cup semifinal, on my home ground, the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground), it was a pretty magical moment to be able to score a hundred against India in a World Cup semifinal. And to have won the World Cup was a dream come true. Playing at home, and be able to win it at home makes it even more special.

You were promoted to No. 3 during the World Cup and played more of an anchor role for your team. Do you think that role suits your batting style the best?

With the make up of the team that we've got at the moment, I think so. I think with the way the game is being played now, with the four fielders (outside the circle) rule that we had in the World Cup, we had a lot of power-hitters to come in at the back end with Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin and James Faulkner. So I guess Nos. 3 and 4 are positions where you can just build an innings, try and go at a run-a-ball, and save up for those guys at the back end. I think that's what myself and Michael Clarke do, or did really well in the World Cup.

Experts reckon you, along with the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, will rule international cricket in the years to come. Do such statements flatter you, or add pressure?

Well, it's nice to hear things like that every now and then. But honestly, I really don't like to think too much about the future. I like to take each day as it comes and keep working on my game as much as possible. The most important thing for me is to try and become a better player than I was before.

Your current Test average of 52.36 is better than even former Australian greats like Ponting, Steve Waugh and Allan Border. You'd love to be as consistent as them going ahead, wouldn't you?

Yes, I think that's something that is pretty important to me. To try and be as consistent as I can and keep trying to win games for Australia. That's the most important thing, and hopefully if I keep my processes the same, keep looking to do the same things, I will continue to improve.

Talking of former greats, who did you idolise growing up as a cricketer?

Mark Waugh was my favourite player growing up, actually. Everything he did was so elegant, it seemed like he did it with ease. So yeah, it was Waugh.

You started your Test career as a leg-spinner, and then decided to focus on your batting. Can we expect you to bowl more in the future?

Look, I've always seen myself as a batsman who can bowl. I guess I was lucky at that point in time to be picked as a spinner in my first couple of Tests. I've been working pretty hard at my batting, and I'm really happy with where that is at the moment. But, you never know, I might be bowling a few more overs in the future.

Let's get to the IPL. This is your second year with the Rajasthan Royals. You weren't a regular in the team last year, but how much did the stint help you in this season?
It's been nice to have been involved with the Royals again. I think we've got a very good franchise. I've learnt a lot from last year and it's nice to have been involved this year, and be playing every single game.

RR always likes to keep itself a bit low key in terms of star value, focusing more on the team than individuals. That fits your personality, isn't it?
Yes, I think it's a good thing. I think everyone wants to strive for the same thing, and that is winning. We do that through our processes. We don't worry too much about the results, we worry about what we can control and how we can do it and I think that's a great way to look at things. We've had some great success this year and we've had a trot where we were a little bit lean. So hopefully we can finish the last game well and make the qualifiers.

RR mentor Rahul Dravid was a bit like how you are right now as a player: calm and composed. Have you picked up anything from him in terms of skills and mentality?

A little bit here and there. It's obviously nice to have someone like Rahul around. He's very calm and composed as you said. And it's nice to be able to pick a few things from him, about playing in these conditions and things like that. I think it's nice to have someone around like him for the young Indian guys more than anyone else.

Finally, do you fancy the team going all the way this season?

Obviously, we've got to win our next game against Kolkata (on Saturday), and then I think mathematically we're pretty much through to the qualifiers. So we have potentially four more games left that we have to win. So hopefully we can finish the season the way we started it.

Smith in numbers

Format M Runs HS Avg 100/50

Tests 26 2304 192 52.36 8/10

ODIs 58 1549 105 40.76 4/7

T20Is 21 168 34 14.00 0/0

Smith in 2015 World Cup

M Runs HS Avg SR 100/50

8 402 105 67.00 91.57 1/4

Smith during 2014-15 India-Aus Test series

First Test, Adelaide: 162* & 52*

Second Test, Brisbane: 133 & 28

Third Test, Melbourne: 192 & 14

Fourth Test, Sydney: 117 & 71

Smith in IPL-8 so far

M Runs HS SR 100/50

12 267 79* 135.53 0/2