Australia vs India: Steve Smith to bat at his old position of number four against India

Hyderabad: Former Australian captain and one of the batting mainstays Steve Smith will bat at his preferred position of number four during the Test series against India, confirmed the Australian cricket team’s national selector George Bailey.

Smith was asked to open the innings in the longest format of the game after the retirement of explosive opener David Warner and the former skipper, by his own admission, had agreed to open the innings.

He scored an unbeaten 91 against the West Indies but could only manage just 51 runs in four innings against New Zealand, raising eyebrows on whether the opener’s slot is good for the veteran batter.

However, now that Cameron Green is injured and has been ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Smith’s chance to get back to his preferred number four slot has been looked into by the captain, coach and the selectors after the veteran batter had raised concerns over his form and his batting position.

Green was batting at number four, Smith’s preferred slot.

Bailey, after meeting with Australian captain Pat Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald, has decided that Smith would come back and play in the upper-middle order.

Bailey said: “Pat (Cummins), Andrew (McDonald)and Steve Smith had been having ongoing conversations, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron (Green).”

Bailey added that Smith will play at number four in all five Test matches against India. “Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position, and Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer,” Bailey told Cricket Australia.

Green, who is expected to undergo a surgery in his lower back, has been ruled out of the entire series, giving Smith an opportunity to play at number four.

Australia and India will play five Test matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, commencing at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22, 2024.