(Edited by Deepthi Ramdas)
COVID-19 has forced the world into a standstill, with sports too taking a hit. The 2020 season of the Indian Premier League would have been on in full flow right now, had the coronavirus not forced counties into lockdown.
Now as players enjoy some downtime at their homes, a few are giving us a glimpse into their lives in lockdown and IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals’ have started a podcast series featuring their players. The latest episode hosted by Ish Sodhi featured their skipper Steve Smith and here’s a look at five things we learned about the Aussie from the podcast.
Debut as a Spinner
Having amassed 7227 runs in 73 Tests and 4162 runs in ODIs for Australia, the former skipper talked about the irony of having started his international career over a decade back, as a spinner!
"I was more of a batsman than a bowler. I played my first two Test matches as a specialist spinner which was strange. They were looking for a spinner after the Shane Warne era and I was one of the 12-13 spinners that got a go.
"I got dropped after that and for me it was about finding a way to get into Australian team and at that point of time I let my bowling slip and focussed only on my batting. But I bowl every now and then."
Target: India
Smith said he believes India is one of the toughest places to play Test cricket and winning a five-day format series in the country is a major career goal for him.
"I would love to win a Test series in India," Smith told leg-spinner Ish Sodhi who has been signed as RR’s spin bowling coach for the season.
"I think as an Australian cricketer we talk about like Ashes is always big, World Cup is big but I think now India is no.1 team in the world and it is a very difficult place to play Test cricket, so I would love to win a series there," he said.
Praise for Jadeja
Smith also had words of praise for India's spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, describing him as a difficult bowler to face in the subcontinent.
"Jadeja in the sub-continent... why he is so good because, he hits that good length and one ball skids on and one spins, and it just all looks same out of the hand. I think consistency in length is key and then having at least one variation," he said.
"So, I think for a leg-spinner, having a good googly, or a slider is crucial and for fingers spinners, being able to change the pace without changing the arms speed too much. I reckon there a few around the world who do that, Jadeja is one of them. He is very difficult to play."
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