Steve Smith confesses to have not played R Ashwin well in the series

Before the start of the Border Gavaskar series it was feared in certain Indian quarters that Steve Smith will turn out to be an unmanageable headache for the touring Indian team. However, Indians had their plans ready for Smith and it has, so far, worked for them. Ravichandran Ashwin in particular has got the better of Smith twice in the series so far.

Smith has managed just 10 runs in the series so far and Australia would want him to get back to his form for the third Test in Sydney.

Talking about his battle with Ashwin so far Smith admitted that he has not been able to play the off-spinner well allowing him to dictate terms.

“I probably haven’t played Ashwin as well as I would’ve liked. I probably would’ve liked to have put him under a bit more pressure,” Smith told SEN Radio.

“I’ve sort of let him dictate terms and that’s something I’ve probably never let any spinner do in my career. I’ve sort of taken it to them, been a bit more aggressive and made them change things,” he said.

“It’s kind of a two-edged sword in a way, but I think I’ve just got to have the confidence to take it on and play my game,” Smith continued.

“At the moment I’m searching for time in the middle; that’s the most important thing for me. When I look at this year, 64 balls is the longest I’ve spent in the middle, during those one-day games,” he added further.

On the other hand, Ashwin too shared his views on his upper hand over the Aussie stalwart so far in the series.

“Coming down to Australia and if you cannot get Steven Smith out, it is always going to be an uphill task,” he told Channel 7.

“He pretty much holds the batting line-up together,” he concluded.