Complicated technique but organised mindset, says Sachin Tendulkar analyses Steve Smith's batting

The cricketing world is talking highly about former Australia captain Steve Smith after his rich exploits in the recently concluded Ashes. The right-hand batsman slammed 774 runs in four games with three hundreds with the highest score of 211. He also slammed three fifties in the series and averaged above 110. The show took him right next to the great Sir Donald Bradman even though the English continued to see him more as a Sandpapergate villain.

The Ashes marked Smith’s return to Test cricket after his year-long ban following the ball-tampering scandal which ended in March. Former Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, the highest scorer in both Tests and ODIs, recently evaluated Smith’s batting to say that though he has a “complicated technique”, his “organized mindset” sets him apart from his contemporaries.

Steve Smith regained his No.1 spot in batting in Tests following his incredible show in the Ashes, toppling India captain Virat Kohli. “In the first Test, the English bowlers tried to get him caught behind the wickets with slips and gully in place. And Smith just shuffled across and exposed his leg stumps to cover the line, and was selective and smart in his approach,” Tendulkar said in an analysis video that was posted on his Twitter account.

“At Lord’s, they had leg-slip for him on occasions and a few short-pitched deliveries against Jofra Archer got him in trouble as he tried to cover the line with the weight on his back-foot,” he further added.

Tendulkar explains why Smith got hit at Lord’s

The 46-year-old Tendulkar also explained where Steve Smith went wrong technically that led to him getting hit by a bouncer from fast bowler Jofra Archer in the second Test at Lord’s and what changes he made to come back strong in the subsequent matches.

“The most important thing for any batsman is to keep the head position forward and weight leaning forward or marginally in-line. Smith got into bad positions and that’s how he probably got hit. In the final two Tests, he was leaving the ball while leaning forward and looked in better positions. He worked on his technique very smartly. That is why I say, ‘complicated technique, but extremely organised mindset’,” Tendulkar further added.

Australia retained the Ashes this year by the virtue of a 2-2 draw in the series and the majority of its credit should go to Steve Smith and their bowlers.