'I’ve let him dictate terms': Steve Smith talks about his trouble in facing Ravichandran Ashwin

Australian batsman Steve Smith, who was also recently named ICC’s Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade, talked about his struggles against India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. 

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Ravichandran Ashwin has been toying with the Aussie and is preventing him to score runs for the hosts. Smith has scored only 10 runs in 4 innings in the series so far while being dismissed by Ashwin two times.

“I probably haven’t played Ashwin as well as I would’ve liked. I probably would’ve liked to have put him under a bit more pressure,” Smith told SEN Radio.

“I’ve sort of let him dictate terms and that’s something I’ve probably never let any spinner do in my career. I’ve sort of taken it to them, been a bit more aggressive and made them change things,” he said.

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“It’s kind of a two-edged sword in a way, but I think I’ve just got to have the confidence to take it on and play my game,” Smith continued.

“At the moment I’m searching for time in the middle; that’s the most important thing for me. When I look at this year, 64 balls is the longest I’ve spent in the middle, during those one-day games.

Ashwin also spoke about Smith and the importance of his dismissal. “Coming down to Australia and if you cannot get Steven Smith out, it is always going to be an uphill task,” he told Channel 7.

“He pretty much holds the batting line-up together.”