Steve Smith is without a doubt the greatest Test batsman of the modern era. He was named captain of Australia for the third Test match in the Border Gavaskar Trophy at Indore.
He stepped in as captain against England (Ashes 2021/22) and West Indies (2022) in the last two Australian summers at the Adelaide Oval after his full-time captaincy role ended in 2018 due to Sandpapergate. However, with the WTC final and the possibility of a series draw at stake, this was a much more significant encounter.
As the Australian Test captain, Steve Smith matched Greg Chappell’s win record. He did so in 37 games, 11 fewer than Chappell did.
#1 Indore, 2023
In the absence of Pat Cummins, Smith was held accountable for a great deal. Despite a respectable showing in the second Test in Delhi, Australia was down 2-0 in the series.
Even though India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth time in a row, Australia still had a significant stake in the remaining games.
Without relying on other teams, Australia also needed to win a Test to secure their spot in the WTC final. In addition, one of the most difficult aspects of red-ball cricket is winning a Test match in India, where they have only lost three games in a decade.
Smith made excellent field placements on a wicket with variable bounce and turn. It appeared as though he had a plan for each Indian batter. His bowlers executed them flawlessly. He made sure that India never had a chance to win the game, and every run was crucial. As the Australian captain, he now has two victories in India. He won the game comfortably by nine wickets.
#2 Pune, 2017
Australia, led by Steve Smith, came to India after their most recent Asian tour ended in a whitewash (Sri Lanka, 2016). But the team knew how important it was to win in India. Before the start of that Border-Gavaskar Trophy, no team had won a Test since the beginning of January 2013.
With the bat, he took the initiative and scored an outrageous 109 runs against an Indian team of world-class caliber. He was blessed with a fair amount of luck, but he made the most of it. Given that India had to bat on a slow wicket, his knock ensured that the game was no longer within their reach.
“Smith stated at the post-match media conference that it was their responsibility to prepare a wicket, and they did so in a way that actually played into our hands.”
India lost by a record-breaking 333 runs, the most under Virat Kohli’s leadership.
#3 Gabba, 2014
Smith’s debut as captain of Australia in a test match. In the event that Michael Clarke was unable to lead the team because of an operation on an injured hamstring, he took over as captain. After a thrilling game against the visitors at the Adelaide Oval, they led the series 1-0.
A bowler falling early in a Test could have presented one of the captain’s greatest challenges to Smith. Josh Hazlewood was squeezing, Mitchell Swamp had a hamstring strain, and Mitchell Starc was holding his ribs. Additionally, he failed to win the toss on a Day 1 wicket that is typically excellent for batsmen.
On the field and with the bat, Smith led by example. He took a brilliant catch and scored a magnificent 138 to eliminate Rohit Sharma in the first innings.