Indian bowlers seem helpless in front of Steve Smith, says Ian Chappell

Australian skipper, Steve Smith, has been in unstoppable form in the ongoing Test series against India. The jittery batsman has not only been the best batsman for Australia in the tournament, but has also made all Indian batsmen look small in front of him. With 378 runs under his cap in the series, Smith remains the highest run scorer in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2017.

The 27 year old has managed to score two brilliant centuries in his course of 378 runs, one of which came in the first Test at Pune and the other being at Ranchi. Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes that the Indians are struggling to find a way to get Smith out in the series.

Steve Smith led Australia to victory in the first Test at Pune as he played a leader’s knock of 109 in the second innings. Carrying his glorious form to Ranchi, the skipper provided another master class with his bat when he went to score an unbeaten 178 at the JSCA stadium.

Ian Chappell thought that it seemed like the Indian bowlers had no clue whatsoever against Steve Smith, who had an answer to everything that was pitched in front of him.

Chappell felt it was apparent India’s bowlers “are no closer to unlocking the secret to upending Smith.”

“Smith was already a successful batting captain, but on this tour of India he has taken his play to another level,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. “He’s made two centuries in three Tests, and following his undefeated vigil in Ranchi, it’s apparent India’s bowlers are no closer to unlocking the secret to upending him. They may have run out of ideas. Smith’s patience and thirst for runs is never-ending.”

“Smith has reduced his mental errors to a minimum. He has eradicated much of the risk from his play but he still puts away the bad or even slightly wayward delivery.

From AB De Villiers to Hashim Amla, all big guns from the world of cricket have flopped terribly against the Indians in recent times, as India ace the number one spot in Tests comfortably right now. Even Kane Williamson tumbled against the Indians as the Kiwis suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the start of India’s home season.

According to Ian Chappell, the Indians players looked desperate and frustrated as they were unable to unlock the mystery of Smith. “Such was India’s desperation in Ranchi that it looked less like a Test and more like a schoolyard romp between two 11-year-olds when Wriddhiman Saha piled on top of the Australian captain in an effort to extract the ball from between Smith’s legs,” Chappell wrote.

The Test series is evenly poised at one each as the two teams head into the fourth Test at Dharamsala which gets underway from Saturday. Steve Smith boasts of an incredible record against the Indians with 6 hundreds against them in the last two series. It will be interesting to see if the Aussie skipper turns out to be the deciding factor in the fourth Test or the Indians manage to get the better of him.