- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Steve Smith gave Australian cricketers a licence to “get into a battle verbally” on their Test tour of India.
Matthew Wade and David Warner have already attempted to do so, without much luck according to talented India A batsman Shreyas Iyer.
India A will resume at 4-176 on the final day of Australia’s only tour game before the four-Test series starts in Pune on Thursday.
Iyer finished Saturday unbeaten on 85 from 93 balls, having attacked Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe with great success at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium.
The young batsman, who shot to fame in India’s first-class competition at age 20 when he scored a triple-ton in just 175 deliveries, cracked five sixes and milked easy singles.
The 22-year-old claims wicketkeeper Wade and Warner, when stationed at leg slip, were doing their best to ruin his rhythm.
“A bit of sledging keeps happening from behind, so that also keeps playing into your mind. You have to handle all kinds of pressure,” Iyer said.
“They keep talking: ‘this guy doesn’t know how to play defensive strokes, he can’t defend the ball’
“So I was proving them wrong. I was just focusing on my batting.
“I’ve been to Australia for India A tour, so I’m quite used to it.”
Wade has always been a vocal presence behind the stumps. Warner didn’t mind a bit of chat earlier in his international career, but has been far more quiet on the park since being appointed vice-captain following the 2015 Ashes.
That promotion came seven months after Warner’s heated “speak English” run-in with India batsman Rohit Sharma at the MCG, which prompted Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland to publicly rebuke him.
Battles for the Border-Gavaskar trophy are generally heated affairs.
Warner plus Indian quartet Varun Aaron, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma were all slapped with misconduct fines during the most recent Test series between the two nations.
“Each of our individuals play the way they play and if they want to get into a battle verbally then, if that gets the best out of them, go for it,” Smith said on arriving in India.
“It’s all about us making sure that as individuals we’re in the right mindset to go out and succeed and if guys want to get in those kind of battles then go for it.
“But in the end it’s about us playing on skill and making sure that our skills are in the best place for us to succeed.”
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.