Steve Smith has carried on his tradition of tormenting the India cricket team. Before the ICC Champions Trophy, Smith had already scored 224 runs in four outings against India in ICC ODI events. He’d scored a match-winning hundred in the ODI World Cup 2015 semifinal and almost recreated it once again in Dubai.
Steve Smith stats vs. India in ICC events (ODI)
| Span | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2025 | 5 | 297 | 59.40 | 87.61 | 1 | 2 | 105 |
Steve Smith anchors Australia
Having lost Cooper Connolly early, it was interim captain Smith who held things together for Australia. Travis Head did his thing, scoring a quick-fire 39 from 33 balls. But it was Smith who was the main engine of the clock. He batted his Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, and Josh Inglis as well.
His job seemed clear. He’ll hold one end and let others score at a quicker rate. Even if one wicket fell, Smith could arrest the collapse and ensure Australia gets to an average total. This worked well with Carey by his side as they scored 54 runs in 10.4 overs.
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Luck in Steve Smith’s favour
Smith did get a couple of chances. In the 14th over, a ball from Axar Patel took his inside edge and rolled to the stumps. However, the bails didn’t fall, and he escaped. He was batting at 23 at the time. Then in the 22nd over, Mohammed Shami dropped Smith. He was batting at 36.
He made full use of these chances, scored a good half-century, but fell short of his hundred (73). Australia had scored nearly 200 runs by then, and captain Smith had virtually done his job. The onus then fell on Carey and others that followed.
The post Deja vu of World Cup 2015 for India as Steve Smith torments bowler to put Australia in command appeared first on Inside Sport India.