Australia’s top-order batter, Steve Smith, on the eve of the 4th Test, kept his opinions on the track at Ahmedabad.
According to Smith, this pitch is far flatter than the previous three ones.
Meanwhile, Australia are 1-2 down in the series but will now look to draw the series at 2-2.
They have already secured their place in the World Test Championship final by winning the 3rd Test at Indore.
Says Smith,
Looks like probably of the four wickets we’ve seen so far, potentially the flattest on day one.
However, Smith feels that the pitch will play well in the succeeding days when it cracks up more.
Having said that, it’s I think 38 degrees out there at the moment, it’s pretty hot. Looks like it’ll dry out as the day goes on. One of the groundsmen said they might be watering it again today.
Adds Smith,
So yeah, we’ll wait and see but in terms of the day before, it certainly looks like it’s likely to do less on day one than we’ve seen so far.
Smith also stated that while scoring 400 was not easy in Nagpur, it might be easier to chase down a target in Ahmedabad.
Smith avoids tricky questions, says that they’ll play according to the conditions
When asked whether he is disappointed with the tracks on offer in India, Smith avoided all controversy and said,
This wicket may be a little bit different. I just had a look at it then. Perhaps it may not spin as much from the first ball or the first day but I do think it will spin as the game goes on. So yeah, there might be opportunities for bigger totals on this wicket.
Furthermore, Smith also feels that the tougher the conditions, the more satisfying the challenge.
I’ve said personally I enjoy playing on these types of wickets. It’s good fun, there’s something always happening and I prefer to play on that a genuine road.
Additionally, Smith has also stated that even getting a target of 70-80 runs will be enough to win the final Test.
On these wickets, that we’re playing on, 70s and 80s are winning you games of cricket as we’ve seen. This one might be a little different, it might be that someone needs to make a bigger score and the par score might go from 200-250 to 450-500.
Concluding, Smith said,
I’m not sure, we’ll wait and see. It’s about playing what’s in front of you. But even quick-fire 30s can change momentum, like we say from Shreyas Iyer in the second innings in the last game… those little cameos can be important in low-scoring games.
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