Just three days ago, not many would have thought that Australia was capable of thrashing India with 9 wickets after such back-to-back disappointing losses in the first two tests of the ongoing BGT 2023. But as it turns out, a lot changed, and for the good, the visitors made a strong comeback in the series which now stands at 2-1 thanks to a much better batting performance, bowling tactics, and most importantly the return of the Aussies’ former captain Steven Smith.
After regular Skipper Pat Cummins flew back home due to personal reasons, Steven Smith was handed the important role with two losses in the bag however the experienced star’s energy, planning, and methods aligned perfectly with the side.
“Australia won every session”-Harbhajan
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was seen having an interaction with Start Sports and praised Australia’s victory in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was greatly influenced by Steve Smith’s shrewd captaincy.
“They played fantastic cricket throughout this Test match. Australia played cricket like Australia. It didn’t look like they had lost two matches previously. I feel the captain changed and their entire bad situation changed.” said Harbhajan Singh.
“The captaincy was brilliant. He used the spinners very well. Although India won the toss, Australia won every session. They put pressure on India from the first day with their bowling and picked up wickets one after the other.” he added.
The leader acumen
While Smith’s successful captaincy period may have ended after the ball-tempering fiasco in 2018, the captaincy acumen still shines bright. The 33-year-old who calls India to be his favorite place to captain in the world, helped Australia achieve their first Test win since 2017 and only second since 2004 on Indian soil.
Knowing best that the only way to take the game away from India was to bowl them out as quickly as possible, Steven Smith rotated his spinsters brilliantly. The attacking strategies worked in this favor and the move to send Travis Head up the order also gave fruitful results.