How can Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team stop Steve Smith in Australia tour?

Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team begin their tour of Australia on November 27 hoping to replicate their 2018/19 success Down Under in which they became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia while they created history by becoming the second team after South Africa to win a series in all formats in Australia. However, there was one major factor that was absent for Australia when they were pounded by India in their own den. The absence of Steve Smith, considered one of the modern greats along with Virat Kohli when it comes to Test matches missed the entire 2018/19 season as he was serving a one-year ban due to the ball-tampering scandal.

Steve Smith has a fabulous record against India, scoring 1429 runs at an average of 84.05 with seven centuries and three fifties. In the last two series that he has played against India, he averaged 128 in 2014/15 while he averaged 71 in 2016/17 series in India. In the 2014/15 series, he smashed four centuries and scored 769 runs. Incidentally, that is the last Test series that Australia won against India, having lost the last two series 2-1 respectively in 2016/17 and 2018/19.

There is no doubt about it. Steve Smith loves playing against India and he is the ultimate batsman when it comes to Tests. On his comeback, he smashed 774 runs against England in the Ashes and helped Australia regain the Urn after the series was drawn 2-2. The main question is, how does India stop Steve Smith? Here are some suggestions.

Play a legspinner or left-arm spinner

If there is a kryptonite to Steve Smith’s superman batting, it is possibly legspin. In the series against Pakistan, Smith was dismissed twice in both Tests by the legspin of Yasir Shah. It might be worth considering that in Tests he has fallen to Yasir Shah seven times. If not a legspinner, India can experiment with a left-arm orthodox spinner. Steve Smith has often struggled against left-arm spin, falling five times out of three Tests to Rangana Herath while in six Tests, he has fallen four times to Ravindra Jadeja.

Keep leg slip or leg gully everytime

Steve Smith’s weird shuffle is enough to put any bowler off track. However, if a captain employs a leg slip in place, then Steve Smith might be vulnerable. Keeping a leg slip right at the start of the innings will put Smith off his play and he might either give a catch or miss a ball that is straight or cuts back in to be trapped plumb in front.

Umesh Yadav achieved some success in the 2014/15 tour when he had Smith caught down the leg side but that was 192 runs too late in Melbourne.

There are certain tricks which can ensure Smith does not score heavily against India for the third straight time. But, with Smith recently getting back into rhythm and in prime form, it will take a supreme effort from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and the others to stop Steve Smith and his run-making prowess.