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Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson backed ace batter Steve Smith to continue opening the batting in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. The two teams will battle in a highly anticipated five-match Test series, starting in Perth on November 22.
Much of the build-up to the series from an Australian perspective has been about whether Smith should continue opening the batting or return to his long-time middle-order role.
With David Warner's retirement earlier this year, Smith took the call to partner Usman Khawaja at the top to enable Australia to play both all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.
While Green's match-winning century in New Zealand in Australia's previous Test assignment justified the move to an extent, Smith's own form has taken a hit. The 35-year-old has averaged under 29 with a lone half-century in eight innings as an opener.
Speaking to the media at the launch of the International Masters League, Watson was quoted by India Today as saying:
"Steve Smith made the call to be able to go and open, and I think he should stay there. Cameron Green came in and batted at No 4 and did a brilliant job. The hundred that he got in New Zealand for something very special. He's the perfect No 4 candidate now with the future moving forward."
He added:
"The reason why he (Smith) didn't do so well over the previous couple of Test matches is that he was a little bit off with his technique. Just a little bit off, which led to him getting out in ways I've never really seen before."
Steve Smith averages a brilliant 61.50 with 5,966 runs in 111 innings at No.4 in Tests, numbers that established him as arguably the best long format batter of the generation.
"Once bowlers like Starc, Hazlewood, and Cummins get up and going, they are very resilient" - Shane Watson
Shane Watson expressed confidence in the veteran Aussie pacers - Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc to meet the physical demands of a five-match Test series, pointing to their resilience and fitness throughout their careers.
The trio are each over the age of 30, yet will be expected to carry a massive workload to help Australia overturn their recent Test struggles against India.
"One thing that they've shown throughout their careers, especially in the last four or five years, is how incredibly resilient they are. Once bowlers like Starc, Hazlewood, and Cummins get up and going, they are very resilient. They are hard-bodied and Test-match-fit bowlers, which is every fast bowler's dream," said Watson.
Australia won their most recent Test meeting against India in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final. However, they have lost the previous four bilateral Test series against India, including the last two at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
