Disappointed with my batting throughout IPL 2020, but have 'found my hands’: Steve Smith

Ahead of Australia’s home Tests, ODIs and T20Is against India, Steve Smith seemed to have found his rhythm back. The 31-year-old wasn’t in the best of rhythms during the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL), but he has been coming back into shape ahead of the international fixtures. In the IPL, he had a nightmarish outing after his team Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished at the bottom of the points table.

However, some adjustments to his batting technique have helped him get his mojo back. The New South Wales-born features in all three squads and being one of the best batters in the world, a lot would be expected of him going forward.

I found a little something and everything just clicked in, says Steve Smith

“I had a big smile on my face after training the other day, I walked past (men’s team assistant coach) Andrew McDonald and said ‘I’ve found them again’,” Smith was quoted as saying to cricket.com.au while speaking on his ‘missing’ hands.

“I was really excited. Theoretically, it is a simple thing, but it is just getting that feel and the look of the bat behind my toe the right way and the way my hands come up on the bat. It’s hard to explain but it just hasn’t quite been right until probably two days ago and I found a little something and everything just clicked in,” he stated.

In the IPL, Smith started with a couple of fifties, guiding the Royals to victories. But from there on, he went into the slump and it rubbed off negatively on his team’s performance as well. In 14 innings during the tournament, the right-hander managed only 311 runs.

“I was pretty disappointed with my batting throughout the IPL. From my standards, I wasn’t consistent enough. I had a few innings here and there, but I never got into a really good rhythm. I got a bit caught up with trying to be a bit too powerful and that’s not quite my game,” Smith added.

Smith doesn’t consider himself as a batsman, who can hit sixes at will. Rather, he prefers to manoeuvre the field and play ‘proper cricketing shots’ to get runs. Smith is currently ICC’s number one ranked Test batsman.