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Last Update: March 08, 2023, 15:34 IST
Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith (AP)
Steve Smith, however, hopes the dry heat will ensure the pitch cracks as the fourth Test progresses, allowing turn
Australian captain Steve Smith said on the 22-yard strip on Wednesday Narendra Modi The stadium potentially looks to be the “flattest Day One track” compared to the previous three pitches where the ball has rotated from the word go.
Australia are trailing 1-2 in the four-match series but have reached the final of the World Test Championship and would like to claim a moral victory and psychological advantage over India by restoring parity in the final game.
“It looks like probably the flattest of the four wickets we’ve seen so far on day one,” Smith told reporters on the eve of the game.
However, Smith is hopeful that the dry heat will ensure that the pitch cracks as the game progresses, providing turn.
“Having said that, I think it’s 38 degrees outside at the moment, it’s very hot. It looks like it will dry out as the day goes on. One of the groundsmen said they might water again today.
“Yes, we’ll wait and see, but in terms of the day before, it certainly looks like it’s less likely than what we’ve seen so far,” Smith said.
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Smith believes that scoring 400 runs in Nagpur was a herculean task, but it could be easier in Motera.
“It’s just playing what’s in front of us really, obviously the scores haven’t been big throughout this series. India scored 400 in that first test match and Rohit scored 100 and 400 proved to be too much.
“This wicket might be a little different. I saw it then. It might not spin much from the first ball or the first day but I think it will spin as the game progresses. So yeah, this wicket But there can be opportunities for big scores.”
Clever Smith avoided any controversy when asked if he was disappointed with the tracks offered.
“We can only play what is in front of us and these are the kind of wickets where even if you get over 200, it is still a good score. We don’t fuss or anything, we never complain or anything about wickets, we just go out and play,” he shrugged off when the tricky question came his way.
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For Smith, tough situations are a more satisfying challenge.
“I have said personally that I enjoy playing on these types of wickets. It’s good fun, there’s always something going on and I prefer to play on that rather than on a real road,” Smith said without making an explicit reference to the tracks used in Pakistan.
In fact, Smith agreed with India head coach Rahul Dravid’s comments that 70 equals a hundred on these tracks.
“On these wickets that we are playing on, 70s and 80s are winning you games of cricket as we have seen. It may be slightly different, may be one needs to score big and the par score may be 200-250 to 450-500.
“I’m not sure, we’ll wait and see. It’s about playing what’s in front of you. But even a quick-fire 30 can turn the tide, as we saw from Shreyas Iyer in the second innings in the last game In a low-scoring game, small cameos can be important,” said the tenacious right-handed batsman.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
