India pacer Akash Deep may not have entered the wickets column on the second day of third Test here but his ability to make the ball talk earned him high praise from Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith. Smith scored his 33rd Test hundred on Sunday and added 241 runs for the fourth wicket with with Travis Head (152) to put Australia in a strong position, having seen off testing spells from the peerless Jasprit Bumrah (5/72) as well as struggles against Akash Deep.
“I thought Akash bowled really nicely, particularly that first spell. He was getting the ball to move with pretty significant movement. He bowled a really good length. He’s a nice bowler. It was the first time I’ve actually faced him. He has got some skill there for sure,” Smith said at the day-end press conference at Gabba.
At stumps, Australia were well-placed at 405 for seven with Alex Carey going strong on a 47-ball 45.
“When that second new ball rolled around, Jasprit came in and did what we know Jasprit can do. It was unfortunate to lose a couple (of wickets) there. But we are in a really strong position at this present time,” Smith said.
Smith, who ended an 18-month century drought with his knock of 101, also spoke about his on-field chat with Head, who sparkled with 152 in 160 balls.
“I had a great seat in the house to watch Travis bat. Travis is consistently performing well. The way he was able to put the bowlers under pressure from the outset is quite incredible. He has got an unbelievable eye and the areas off which he scores, it’s tough to put fielders in those positions in a way.
“He’s a special player at the moment. He’s playing so well and helping our team immensely and putting pressure on the bowlers every time he goes out to play. It was cool to witness (that) again.” On their conversation in the middle, Smith added, “We don’t actually say much to each other out there. He just says, ‘do your thing’. I say, ‘do your thing’, and we move on. It was cool to witness that again. He’s a special player right now.” Smith said the series opener in Perth, where the Australian batters were blown away by the Bumrah-led India bowlers to lose the game by 295 runs, was an “anomaly” as far as their batting was concerned.
“We kind of set it (right) after Perth. It was a bit of an anomaly. We all missed out at the same time together. We usually have one or two batters stand up and get us out of trouble or get us in a position of strength.
“(It was) fortunate that Travis and I could do that today. I’ve changed my setup pretty much every game I’ve played for the last 15 years, it’s nothing new to me. I try and adapt and figure the best way to play for each surface that I’m facing.” The master batter opened up on the adjustments he made to tackle the Indian bowlers on the Gabba surface. “Clearly this one is a pretty bouncy track so I was batting out of my crease a little bit, trying to get at the bowler, going across my stance, but leaving my left leg a little bit open.
“Perhaps, when I’ve been doing my double trigger, getting my left leg a little bit too close and those balls that are skidding, I’ve probably struggled to get my bat down in time. I thought my movements were pretty good today,” he said. PTI AH AH DDV
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