Michael Clarke reveals how DRS incident brought scrutiny on Steve Smith

Time and again, during the just-concluded India v/s Australia Border-Gavaskar series, visiting captain Steve Smith came under the scanner, for seeking DRS help from the balcony, and at times, for using cuss words for the opponents and even going to the extent of mocking Virat Kohli’s injury.

However, after losing the series, Smith reflected upon all of his wrongdoings and apologized in the post-match conference. He was guilty of what he did as a result of excessive emotions and won hearts of a section of people for being apologetic and accepting his share of fault.

In the post-match presentation, Smith said, “I have been pretty intense throughout this series. I really wanted to do well for the team. At times I have been in my own bubble and have let my emotions slip. I apologize for that.”

Michael Clarke, however, explained to India Today what exactly compelled Smith to apologize.

“As captain, Smith would never have experienced scrutiny like this before. Always a difference being player and captain. There are extra eyes on you as skipper. Even off the field – people listen and watch and judge you for what comes out of your mouth. That DRS incident certainly was a huge moment in this series. It caused a lot of tension and fire in the series. Smith would wish he can take it back, wish it didn’t happen”

He further agreed that Smith’s ‘bubble’ was justified because when you are playing an international game, you have a lot of expectations to fulfill and questions to answers, and that is when the player gets high on emotions and unintentionally resorts to means like sledging.

“I understand what Smith means about the bubble. I had that too – I was successful because of it also – the clarity that comes with it,” Clarke said.