'I've evolved as a white-ball cricketer'

If the second game of the India-Australia series here goes as planned on Thursday, Steve Smith would achieve a special milestone of having played 100 one-day internationals.

Starting his career as a leg-spinner to becoming the batting bulwark of the Aussies to going on to become their skipper across all formats, the 28-year-old has come a long way. Speaking to the media at the Eden Gardens on the eve of the game, the Sydneysider said he’s very happy with the way he’s evolved as a white-ball cricketer.

“I think I’ve evolved a lot as a white ball player. When I first started playing one-day cricket, my first 30-odd games, I played more as a bowler. I had to change a bit there. I’ve been batting at No 3 for a while now. I had to find the right tempo for the game, whether it’s hitting boundaries or finding the right time to hit a right boundary. You learn as you play. I think you’re always learning. You’re trying to evolve and just keep trying to get better. You can never be satisfied. You want to be the best you can. Yes, I’ve learnt a lot along the way but there’s always so much more to learn and get better at as well. It’s pretty exciting to play my 100th game tomorrow.”

The Australian termed the match-winning 105 in the 2015 World Cup semifinal against India as his best knock so far. “I’d probably say my most memorable innings is the century I scored against India at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) in the semifinals (of the 2015 World Cup). Pretty big game and it was good to get a big score there. I think we lost a wicket pretty early. I was able to form a partnership with (Aaron) Finch. I’ll say that’s probably one of better one-day hundreds in a big occasion.”

Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke has reportedly said Smith’s captaincy has been challenged owing to the team’s fluctuating performances. Smith, however, replied saying he’s in good space. “I don’t think I’m in a bad place with my captaincy. Obviously results haven’t been the way we would have liked and that’s something we are trying to rectify.