Steve Smith

Having broken into the Australian team in 2010, Steve Smith found it very tough to keep his place in the squad with his inconsistent spin bowling performances. He made his debut as an 18-year-old rookie leg-spinner when Aussie cricket was not at its best and was going through a phase of transition. Smith later started playing primarily as a batsman.  

Fast forward to 2013, Steve Smith had returned with a genuinely improved technique and most importantly - a good defence and shots against moving balls. The Ashes 2013 in England, which otherwise was a debacle for Australia, proved to be the point of no return for Smith as he scored his maiden Test century in the final Test at the Oval. The Ashes was quickly followed by a return Ashes series Down Under where Smith impressed again with important and notable contributions with the bat when the team were in trouble.

The South Africa tour that followed the Ashes 2013-14 added another feather to Smith’s cap as he partnered with Shaun Marsh to plummet bowling line up that included Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. Series after series and matches after matches, Smith ended up consolidating his domination at the top of the rankings of ICC Test batting.

A Test century against India on a Pune pitch that turned square from day one established his reputation of being a batsman for all pitches, conditions and against any bowling line up.

A career that was on a steep upward curve was halted by a poor decision of ball tampering taken under his watch against South Africa in 2018, which saw him facing a ban for a year.

As the ban ended, Smith made a resounding comeback against his favourite opponent England in the Ashes 2019 virtually standing as a lone man between the English side and the coveted urn. He single handedly thwarted the bowling lineup of Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes. He ended up scoring a mammoth 774 runs from 4 matches he played with a bradmanesque average of 110.57.

In the first ODI match against India at home, Smith brought up his hundred in just 62 deliveries as Australia went on to win that match easily. In the second ODI, he again scored a 62-ball ton and helped Australia win the match by 51 runs, and he was awarded the player of the match for his scintillating performance. 

Smith struggled in the first two Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar series, but the Sydney born roared back with a majestic ton in the third Test match at his home ground. He scored 131 in the first innings and looked comfortable against the Indian bowling line-up.

In the IPL, Smith has not had a dominating run of form as he has had with the Australian side in Tests and ODIs. The 2017 season with the then Rising Pune Supergiant was the most successful season for Smith who scored 472 runs from 15 matches.

In IPL 2020, Smith started off well, but in the second half of the tournament, he struggled a lot with his timing as Rajasthan Royals finished 8th in the points table. 

Ahead of the 2021 IPL auction, Smith was released by Rajasthan Royals. He was eventually roped in by last year’s runner-up, Delhi Capitals for INR 2.2 crore.

Arguably the best Test batsman at present, Smith has come a long way in his international career. From getting compared to Shane Warne in his initial days, to now producing numbers equivalent to the great Don Bradman, his career redemption is a story for the ages. 

(As of March 2021)