Canberra:Australia batsman Steve Smith has said playing Test cricket in India is very difficult and he would love to win a Test series against the No 1-ranked side.Australia last won a Test series in India in 2004, when Ricky Ponting became the only captain from his country to win a Border-Gavaskar trophy on Indian soil.
"I would love to win a Test series in India. I think as an Australian cricketer we talk about Ashes, which is always big, the World Cup is big, but I think now India is the No 1 team in the world and it is a very difficult place to play Test cricket, so I would love to win a series there," Smith told Kiwi leg-spinner Ish Sodhi during a podcast organised by their IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, Cricbuzz reported.
"Other than that I would not like to set too many goals, but take things day-by-day, series-by-series, just try to improve," he said.The 30-year-old also praised India spinner Ravindra Jadeja, whom he finds 'very difficult to play' in the subcontinent.
"Jadeja in the sub-continent ... why is he so good because, he hits that good length and one ball skids on and one spins, and it just looks all the same out of the hand. I think consistency in length is key and then having at least one variation," Smith further said.
"So, I think for a leg-spinner, having a good googly, or a slider is crucial and for fingers spinners, being able to change the pace without changing the arm speed too much [is important]. I reckon there a few around the world who do that, Jadeja is one of them. He is very difficult to play, " he stated.
Smith returned to international cricket last year after serving a year-long ban imposed on him for his role in the ball-tampering incident in the 2018 Cape Town Test. He played in two big tournaments after that ? the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and the Ashes series.
"It has been a pretty long year with the World Cup and Ashes, a few away one-day tours. So this rest is not the worst thing but hopefully it is for a few weeks. I am pretty keen to get back to playing," Smith added.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the cricket calendar has been hit, with a string of bilateral series getting cancelled.
This year's Indian Premier League also has been suspended until April 15 and Smith, who took over RR's leadership duties from Ajinkya Rahane in the 2019 IPL, hoped that the mega-event would take place at some point of time in the year.(UNI)