In the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith did what Ajinkya Rahane did in the 2021 Border Gavaskar series. After biting dust in the first two Tests, Smith led Australia to a thumping nine-wicket victory over India on a rank-turner Indore pitch on Friday (March 3). India flattened the visitors within three days in the first two Tests while Australia went a step further and avenged Nagpur and Delhi humiliation with a resounding win in Indore which ended in two days and a little over an hour. The Indore triumph has given Australia a much needed aplomb and of course a sure shot spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-2023 final which will be played at the Oval from June 7 to June 11.
Meanwhile, Australia's stand-in captain Smith can't feel more proud of his team who staged a sensational comeback to win the match. He also said that he likes captaining in India as he understands the conditions and intricacies really well.
"We're thinking of Patty back home," Smith said at the post-match presentation. "He's had to go home, so our thoughts are with him.
"I really enjoyed this week, I like captaining in this part of the world, I feel like I understand the conditions really well and the intricacies of the game that need to happen ball in and ball out. I think I did a reasonable job this week. We're really proud to have clinched a spot in the World Test Championship in a couple of months' time," Smith said.
In the first innings it was the rookie Matthew Kuhnemann who triggered the batting collapse with a maiden five-for and then in the second, the vastly experienced Nathan Lyon who limited India’s lead to just 75 runs thanks to an eight-wicket haul.
Lyon was named player of the match, and Smith said, "Nathan got all the rewards with eight wickets, but I think our bowlers as a collective were really good. It was a complete performance in the end."
Australian will look to end the series on a winning note to wipe off the humiliation in the first two Tests, while India will have a task cut out in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad as they need to win the contest to ensure a spot in the WTC final.
Smith made his intention clear for the fourth Test which will be played from March 9 to March 13 as he wants to level the series, which now stands at 2-1 in favour of India.
"Hopefully we can put up a similar performance and finish the series really well," Smith said.
India skipper Rohit Sharma said his team would "need to regroup and try to understand what we did right in the first two Test matches as well".
He said India have "got to be brave... which I thought we were not".
Lyon's 11 wickets in the match have made him the most successful bowler in Tests between India and Australia, taking him two past Anil Kumble's haul of 111 wickets.
The spinner said: "I just love challenging myself at this level and get a big thrill out of that."
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