To earn respect as a leader you have to perform: Steve Smith

[JUGRAJ SINGH]

Prime VIP
Staff member
How excited are you to be involved with your third IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants?

Very excited. I was with Pune a couple of years ago. We have a new franchise now, Rising Pune Supergiants. It's nice to be involved. I think we have a relatively strong squad. Hopefully, we can play some good cricket.

You are the boss of the Australian team. How does it feel, as a senior cricketer, when you suddenly come into a side which has MS Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis?

It's great that we have so much experience in international captains. Obviously, Dhoni is the one who is in charge and he will do things his way here. I am looking forward to working with him, to see how he goes about his business.

You worked with Rahul Dravid earlier when you were with Rajasthan Royals. How do you see him as a coach? There is talk of him being involved with the Indian team...

I think he'd do a terrific job as coach of India. He is incredibly well respected right from his playing days. He's a lovely gentleman. He's done well with the Royals and there is no reason why he can't be a successful international coach.

Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying he would love to coach Australia. Do you think he would be suitable for that role?

I think he could. He was a magnificent player. I was lucky enough to be able to play a few games under his captaincy. He was a magnificent leader of men, a great man and he's had some success in his coaching career with Mumbai, last year. He'd be great to have around at any point.

You made a successful transition to Tests from ODIs and T20s. What do you tell somebody who has not been able to translate his success in limited-overs cricket to satisfying levels in Tests...

I am not too sure. I think 95% of our game is mental. It all comes down to decision-making. You see most guys around the world, their technique is pretty much similar, or good enough to survive. Particularly in the longer format of the game, it's all about decision-making.


© Getty
When did you take the crucial decision to focus less and less on your spin bowling, and more on the batting?

I think after I got dropped (Ashes, 2011). My fifth Test, I think it was. I played two as a spinner and three as a batsman and then I got dropped. That is when I thought the best way to get back is through my batting. So I stopped bowling in the nets or bowled very little and spent all the time on my batting. I tried to be successful firstly at first-class level and then find the game to be successful at international level. I had a lot of things to do with my technique. I got rid of the bat tap I used to have. My hands stay up now. I am a lot more still. My head stays still. I have brought in that shuffle across the stumps. A lot of it had to do with technique, but in the end it was about decision making. I wanted to score off every ball. It's great to have that mindset, but in Test cricket, it doesn't happen that way. You have to be a lot more patient and let a few balls go through the 'keeper and wait for the balls in your area to hit. Those two years that I was out of the team were when I worked on my batting.

Did anyone tell you to make those changes in your game?

I figured it out myself. I think as a batter, you are your own best coach. It's nice to have guys around that can help you. Michael di Venuto has been the batting coach of Australia and I think he has been terrific for me. But in the end, you have to be comfortable with the decisions you make and how you want to play. I figured it out myself, which is very pleasing.

When you started out, did you ever imagine that you would be the third-youngest to captain the Australian Test team?

Not really. You dream about those things as a kid growing up. It's more of just playing for your country and doing well. But to be able to captain Australia is a great honour and I have really enjoyed myself in that role for a year or so. It's been great fun and the guys have been magnificent.

What does it take to earn the respect of the Australian dressing room?

To start earning respect as a leader you have to perform and give everything, whether it's batting or bowling and I think that's a start. Being a good person is another one, making sure you are able to take care for your team around you, look out for others and not just worry about yourself. These are all important. You need to show that you are helping the guys around you improve. For me, it's important that we are helping each other out and we are improving and getting better at whatever we do.

What's it with Australia and their inability to win the World T20?

Virat Kohli! He certainly didn't help us the other day. The side we had over here was good enough to make it to the back end of that tournament. It took a special innings from Virat to end our chances. We missed our opportunity at the start of the tournament against New Zealand as well. We probably should have chased down 140 in Dharamsala.

Do seniors in the team listen to all you have to say? Are there any ego hassles? Do you have any unwanted advice coming your way?

No. The guys have been fantastic. I think everyone's warmed up to me being captain. They have all responded to everything I have said. I have got no hassles at all.

Was playing David Warner in the middle order the right move?

The starts we had in each of the matches were spot on. That's what we were after. I guess it would have been nice if the guys who got a start at the top would have gone on and got a 70, 80 or a hundred. That wasn't to be. Warner's role was different. We knew we would come up against a lot of spin in the middle and we would like to think that me and him play spin well and have experienced these conditions a lot. I guess the middle-order just didn't play to their potential. We let ourselves down.

Steve Smith on the field is an intense personality, focused and hungry for success. Is Steve Smith off the field a totally different character?

I don't think so. Maybe, I am not as intense off the field. I want to perform and want to do well and that is why I can get intense when I am out on the field. When I am out in the middle, I just want to do well and want to have success for whichever team I am playing in, be it for Australia or Rising Pune Supergiants.

Few batsmen make that sudden quantum leap when it comes to numbers and averages. You and Virat Kohli have managed to do just that. Kohli has worked tremendously hard on his fitness, changed his diet. Have you made any such personal lifestyle choices?

I try to be as healthy as I can be. I work a lot harder than I used to. I am as strong as I have probably ever been. I do a lot more work in the gym. It's more about having the hunger for runs and not wanting to watch the game, but wanting to be out in the middle doing the business. It's never a good feeling to get out. It's nice to see other people do well, but you want to be out there doing it.


© Getty
You, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat are the leading batsmen in world cricket. Do you guys keep a track of each other's performances? Is there a sense of competition there?

Not as such. You try and be the best player you can be. With so much social media around these days, there is stuff that gets tweeted at you, about how well these guys are doing. Obviously, all those guys have had a terrific run over the last few years; they are great batters and great to watch. I think we all play a little bit differently. There is no rivalry as such.

How challenging is it to play for a new IPL team all of a sudden? When you look around you will probably see that five other teams are ahead of you in terms of their core group...

It's not easy. You see the other teams and you see that their core groups are pretty similar from the start of the IPL. They would know each other pretty well and know about each other's gameplans. As a new team, it's about going out there and trying to find a way that works for us straightaway and I am sure MS has got many tricks up his sleeve.

People say IPL has blurred the lines when it comes to on-field banter, but that doesn't seem to be the case when India and Australia play. What happened in Adelaide between you and Virat when you were on the mic?

We were just having a bit of a chat, weren't we? You can get into heated discussions between two intense players that want to do well for their teams. We know there is a line that you shouldn't cross. However, a couple of our players have crossed it at times.

Will it help Rising Pune Supergiants in any way that coach Stephen Fleming and captain MS Dhoni have worked together for Chennai Super Kings?

Yes. I guess the leadership guys know each other inside out. I hope so. Fleming has done extremely well for CSK and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, last year. I like the way he works and is pretty much relaxed in the way he goes about things. Hopefully, we can have a successful campaign.

How different will it be to face Ashwin in the Pune nets? Will you be sitting next to him in the dressing room, too?

I am actually. I am sitting right next to him, at least here in Mumbai. It's a little different facing him in the nets. He bowled a lot of leg-spinners. Maybe, he was trying to not give too much away with his off-spinners. He is obviously a quality bowler and has done well for a long period of time. Hopefully, he can make a big difference for us in this tournament.

Does it get tricky when it comes to sharing information on some of your Australian teammates who are IPL rivals?

I don't think it is a very sensitive area at all. There is so much footage about everyone these days. Sharing a few things can't really hurt. Whichever team I am playing for, I want to do well, so if they want to ask about some Australian players, I will share as many things about their weaknesses as possible.

Is there any key to consistency, and have you found it? Against India in the last Test series, you said that they wouldn't be able to get you out throughout the season...

Yes, I didn't feel that I was going to get out. I think as a player you sometimes go through those purple patches in a way where you almost feel unstoppable. So, I said to my partner Dani and I said to Brad Haddin, that they (India) wouldn't get me out in the summer and it was pretty close to that.

© Getty
You enjoy batting against India, don't you?

Because you are facing the same sort of bowlers over and over again in a four-Test series, you get into a bit of rhythm against them. So, I guess in that summer I got into a bit of a rhythm against their bowlers and they just couldn't come up with ideas to get me out.

What's the sentiment among top-level Australian players about the viability of all three formats of the game?

I would love all three formats of the game to continue. They all are incredibly good in their own right.

Where does One-day cricket stand right now? Do you think it's a bit redundant after the advent and popularity of T20, or does it still have a life?

It's still got life. You have got to look at the World Cup in Australia. The crowds that we got there were amazing. I think it's a great format and I enjoy playing it.

Cricket Australia has announced that the Test against South Africa at the Gabba will be played with a pink ball...

It was nice playing in the first day-night Test last summer. It was a great spectacle for people at the ground and on TV as well. I think that's going to continue, and I hope they continue to make improvements to the ball so that the game can be successful. It's got a lot of merit. I hope they get it completely right.

You had close to 500 runs scored in the World T20 game between South Africa and England. So why should people go to watch Test cricket when you see 500 runs being scored in one T20?

I am not sure (smiles). Personally, I love the five-day game. I love the battles, the challenges of watching a guy face a spell of bouncers, a ball that's turning square, a ball that's seaming around, things like that. I love watching the challenges that people go through.

Do you want to see cricket at the Olympics? What do you feel administrators should do to push cricket at the Olympics?

Yeah, I think it will be pretty cool to play at the Olympics. A T20 tournament at the Olympics will be good. So, why not?

Was 'Homeworkgate' the lowest point in Australian cricket in the recent past? You are scheduled to come back to India for another series...

Hopefully, the results are not like the previous series. You don't want to lose a series 4-0. That wasn't a great point in Australian cricket. However, it gave me a chance to return. That was my first Test back and I have played every game since. Personally, it was nice, but surely you don't want to see those things happening very often.

© Getty
Is doctoring pitches okay for home teams? Is that what gives Test cricket its character?

To an extent, I think it's not bad. I think there's been a lot of talk about changing the toss, allowing the away team to choose what they want to do so that might change the way people prepare their wickets. But I guess you can have every advantage you want as a home team.

Do you think associate members of the ICC deserve more opportunities to play against the full members?

It's a difficult question, and probably another one for the ICC to take note of as well. I guess you want to see cricket played as much as possible around the world. It's the game we love, the game we love to watch and play.

A lot of associate nations are getting a lot more competitive and you have to look at the last World Cup where Afghanistan beat the winners of the World Cup. So they are getting more competitive and better at playing against the bigger teams.

Which other sport do you follow? Do you have any time left for hobbies at all?

I love golf, tennis and Rugby League back home. I'm following the (Augusta) Masters. My swing is not neat, just steady. My balls go everywhere! And I really love my tennis. My favourite player is Roger Federer. He is a legend. I got to meet him a little while ago. He is such a nice guy. He said to me that wherever he is around the world, he watches whatever sport there is being shown on TV. He watches a bit of cricket here and there, but he does not really know a lot about it. I went to the Australian Open last year, got to watch Federer play against [Novak] Djokovic. He's a big hero of mine. Unfortunately, he lost that game. It was great to be able to see him play on a big stage in a big tournament.

I also own a couple of horses. It's nice to watch them run and hopefully win. I like watching movies, too.

Do you think Federer has another Grand Slam left in him?

Yeah. I think so. Wimbledon, I reckon, is probably his best chance.

Any cricketing heroes you dote on?

My favourite player growing up was Mark Waugh. I just loved the way he played. He made everything look so easy and effortless. Just a beautiful player to watch.

Funnily enough, people compare you to Steve Waugh...

Fair enough. Mark's brother (laughs). All three of us were born on the same day (June 2). There might be something in that, I don't know (laughs). But he was obviously a terrific leader for Australia. He was a great player, a great fighter. They were both terrific players.
 
Top