Steve Smith, who is currently ranked fifth in the ICC Men's Test batting rankings will be an important player when India tours Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.
The first Test match of the BGT series will begin on November 22, at the Perth Stadium. India had made history when they won the last Test series held between the two teams, in Australia, in 2021/22 season.
Apart from the general talking points ahead of the series, one of the more interesting things to take note will be if Steve Smith will continue to bat as an opener, or if he will push himself back to his old position in the batting order, at Number 4.
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Will Steve Smith open or bat at Number 4 for Australia in the BGT Test series against India?
Speaking to Code Sports, the Australian batter Steven Smith said that he has 'no idea' whether he will be opening the batting for Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy against India.
"It is just a position to me," Smith said, hinting that he had no problem batting at either position.
Ricky Ponting doubts Steve Smith's batting role as opener for Australia
On the other hand, former Australia captain was unsure if Smith should continue with his new role as an opener in the upcoming Test series.
During an interview on the ICC review show, Ponting was questioned about Smith’s ideal batting position, between opener and number four.
"I think Australia will pretty much pick itself. Probably the only one question there might be with Australia again, is if Smith's the right man to be opening the batting. That would be the only query that I can see there. But that was all about obviously bringing Cameron Green back into the side," said Ponting.
While the former skipper said that he was uncertain if Smith should continue as an opener, he left the decision entirely to the batter himself.
Additionally, if Smith continued to open the batting, then allrounder Cameron Green will also continue to occupy the Number 4 position.
"So, I'll rephrase it, not whether Smith's the right man to open the batting but whether he thinks it's the right spot for him. Because I think if he doesn't think it's the right spot then they'll make a change and get someone else back up there,” he concluded.
What is Steve Smith's Test batting record as an opener and at Number 4 for Australia?
In a Test career spanning 109 matches, with close to 200 innings batted (195), Steve Smith has notched up 9685 runs at an average of 56.97, including 32 hundreds.
Among the many positions in the batting order, he has featured the most number of times at Number 4, where he has had a lot of success. He has particularly excelled in the middle order (3, 4 and 5) where he averages close to or over 60, in all the three positions.
On the other hand, the opening position is relatively new to him, in which he has not fared too well, in his 8 innings so far.
He first opened the batting in Tests during the West Indies series in January 2024, where he averaged 60, but with scores of 31, 0, 11, and 9 in the next series against New Zealand, his average has now fallen down to 28.5, as an opener.
| Test Batting Position | Innings | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener | 8 | 171 | 28.5 | 1 | 0 | 91* |
| Number 4 | 111 | 5966 | 61.5 | 26 | 19 | 239 |
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