The former Australian captain Steve Smith applauds India’s effort after they cruise to a victory against Australia in the second Warm-up game on Wednesday. This came after Smith played a handy knock of 57 for his side in the first inning of the game, to help his team post a handy total in for India to chase in the second inning.
The Australian team was taking on India for their second warm-up game. Winning the toss they chose to bat first and things did not go according to their plans at all. In the second over of the game, they lost two crucial wickets in the form of Warner and Marsh. Later Jadeja removed the Aussie captain Finch, to reduce Australia to 3 wickets down within the powerplay itself. Steve Smith then put up a great show, as he scored 57 runs in just 48 balls. What was really important about his inning was that he stuck around anchoring the inning while Maxwell and Stoinis scored quick runs.
The total of 152 was certainly not enough, especially against a batting lineup such as that of India. Captaining the Team Rohit Sharma opened the inning with KL Rahul and together they broke the resistance of the Australian batters. Rohit scored 60 before being retired. Later Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya applied the finishing touches to cruise India home comfortably.
Smith shared his thoughts on the Indian team during the break between the innings. He said to Reuters, “They’re a terrific side, they’ve got all bases covered and some serious match-winners. They’ve been playing in these conditions the last couple of months with the IPL. So they’ll be used to that.” Upon being asked about his own performance Smith added, “I feel like I have been hitting the ball really well. I spent a lot of time in the nets working on things and getting used to the conditions which have been nice.”
Australia begins their campaign on the 23rd of October, as they take on South Africa in the Group 1 encounter.