Captaincy ‘brings the best out of me’, says Smith

AFP, Indore :
Australia’s Steve Smith said on Tuesday that he was frustrated with his performances in India but confident his spell as stand-in skipper can revive the tourists’ fortunes after two dismal losses.
Smith will lead Australia in the third Test starting today in Indore, after regular captain Pat Cummins left to be with his ill mother following the team’s second successive defeat.
India have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-0 lead in the four- Test series.
Smith has managed just 71 runs in four innings this series.
He fell lbw for nine in his last outing after a failed sweep shot, triggering an Australian collapse in which eight wickets fell for 28 runs in New Delhi.
“I don’t think there’s been too many times I’ve walked off the field and I’ve gone, ‘what the hell am I doing?'” Smith told reporters.
“I was pretty angry. There hasn’t been too many times in my career where I’ve actually come off and just been bedazzled by what I’ve done. It wasn’t my finest moment.”
Smith, 33, was Australia captain between 2014 and 2018 before the “sandpapergate” scandal in South Africa ended his tenure.
He was Australia’s leading batsman during their last Tests in India with 499 runs including three centuries, but his team went down 2-1 in that hard- fought series.
Despite failing to match that form during this tour, he is hopeful his leadership can deliver a turnaround.
“It normally brings the best out of me,” he said of the captaincy. “I’m excited about leading this week in Pat’s absence.
“I know these conditions well. It’s kind of like my second home playing over here, I’ve played a lot in India, I understand the intricacies of the game and what the wickets are likely to do. I’m looking forward to it.”
Australia were bowled out for 113 in their second innings of the second Test, and Smith said the collapse was a teachable moment.