Steven Smith responds to Harbhajan Singh's whitewash jibe

02/22/2017

Steven Smith has dismissed Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh's claims that the visiting Australian team would be easily whitewashed by a rampant India. The Aussie captain singled out pacer Mitchell Starc as the trump card for the Australian side during the four-Test series that begins tomorrow.

Harbhajan had called the current Australian team as “the weakest Australian side to tour India" and added that there was a good chance that the visitors could be whitewashed by India in the four-match Test series.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, I don't believe that's the case. I'm confident in the squad we've got here to compete against India," Smith told the press at the pre-match conference in Pune.

You hear comments like Harbhajan who expect us to lose 4-0. That's not how we feel

"No doubt it's going to be a difficult series. India have played some very good cricket off late, particularly at home. So we're under no illusions there, it's going to be tough. But we've got the squad here that can compete in these conditions."

"Yes, I guess we are the underdogs in this series. You hear comments like Harbhajan who expect us to lose 4-0. That's not how we feel. We want to compete here against India. It's going to be a tough series, they've got some quality players in their line-up. So yes, it's going to be difficult."

As reported earlier, Smith and co. have not decided on a team as yet and the Aussie captain said that the decision would be taken before the toss tomorrow. Talking about the Pune pitch, Smith said that it appeared "too dry" for a Test pitch a day before the game.

"We don't have a team as yet. We'll wait until the toss to announce that. But we've got a few options, got a very big squad here to cover all options. At the moment, the wicket looks incredibly dry for a day before the Test match. So it will depend on what sort of combination we want to go in with," Smith added.

The Aussie captain reserved special praise for pacer Mitchell Starc stating that his ability to trouble batsmen with both the new and old ball would come in handy during the series. However, Smith stressed on the fact that the other bowlers would also have to step up their game if the visitors want anything from the series.

"First of all, is the fact that he (Starc) can bowl 150 kmph. That's a good start. But with that, you've also got to have some skills to take wickets, particularly on slow wickets. He's a very good reverse bowler, he controls the ball really well. So that's a great starting point for a fast bowling spearhead in the sub-continent conditions, where the wickets aren't quick and you can't bounce guys out," Smith explained.

For us it's about not worrying too much about results over here.

"You have to have other plans, and getting the ball to shift in the air is a big weapon for fast bowlers. When the ball is shifting, he is one of the bets going around."

Smith also took some pressure off his team by mentioning that the team was not worried about the result of the series but rather on how well the team could execute plans.

"For us it's about not worrying too much about results over here. It's worrying about the processes and making sure that individually we have the game plans in place to give ourselves the best chance to succeed," Smith added.

"But I guess what I want to see from my boys is ability to adapt to the plans we have in place, show some fight and resilience in tough situations. There are going to be difficult moments in games, some key moments that we need to identify. Hopefully, we can have the skills, plans and mindsets in place to counter those difficult moments."

"It's the same as a team and for me to know which times to attack, which times to defend and understanding the tempos of the game really quickly and adapting."

Steven Smith responds to Harbhajan Singh's whitewash jibe

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