If Steve Smith was Indian, his technique would be accepted better, says Trent Woodhill
Trent Woodhill has stated that had Steve Smith been an Indian, his technique would have been accepted as the Indian system is is all about output and about scoring runs. He has also added that unorthodox styles should be celebrated and isn't too happy with those struggling to accept that.
Steve Smith took batting to a ridiculously new level in the recently-concluded Ashes, and his 774 runs had the toil of English bowlers written all over it. Those unorthodox leaves coupled with the high backlift resulted in Smith negating bowled and LBW out of the equation and dismissing him became as big a factor as anything. However, there were some people who had a damning indictment of the technique, calling it unorthodox and unpleasant to the eye. That, however, didn't go down well with Smith's formative coach Trent Woodhill who observed that his ward's uniqueness would be accepted in the Indian system.
"If Steven was Indian, his technique and mechanics and the strategy around his batting would just be accepted," Woodhill was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.
"We see Kohli, Gavaskar, (Rohit) Sharma, Ganguly, Sehwag - all these players have unique techniques. The Indian system is all about output, about scoring runs, 'We don't care how you do it as long as you do it', whereas in Australia we wanted you to score well and we wanted you to look good."
"Young players need protection from both themselves and others who don't like the difference. A cricket dressing room can be a brutal place for a young player, who might be forced to conform - more so in Australia than any other country I've been in.
"In Australia, we struggle with things that are different. We like a sexy Shaun Marsh thirty, made with a conventional, attractive technique, rather than an unconventional Steven Smith hundred."
While talking about the unconventional approach, he also cited Anil Kumble and Rashid Khan's action who could outfox the batsmen with their wrist position and the way they hold the ball.
"Other nations just find a way to accommodate such players. Like a Rashid Khan, who holds the ball like an offspinner but bowls legspin, an Anil Kumble - seam-up, wristspin, predominantly wrong'un. Australian cricket likes to pass the baton on: this is how you do it, this is how it's always been done. Steven's come along, and to some extent, David Warner's come along and said, 'No, we're gonna do it this way now', and they've had a lot of success," Woodhill observed.