‘Last time we got served a greentop’ – Steven Smith defends abandoning India tour game

By Charlie On Jan 31, 2023

Steven Smith has defended Australia’s decision to not play a tour game ahead of their upcoming four-match Test series in India, saying that during their last Test tour of the country in 2017, the tour game was played on a “greentop” that did not help them prepare for the kind of pitches they went on to face in the series.

“We normally have two tour games over in England. This time we don’t have a tour game in India,” Smith said at the Sydney airport before the team’s departure for India.

“The last time we went [to India], I’m pretty sure we got served up a greentop [in the practice game], and it was sort of irrelevant. Hopefully, we get really good training facilities where the ball is likely to do what it’s likely to do out in the middle, and we can get our practice in.”

Australia had faced India A in the tour game in 2017 at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium. The visitors had piled up 469 for 7 before declaring in the first innings, with Smith and Shaun Marsh racking up centuries. India A made 403 in return, and Australia were 110 for 4 when the match ended in a draw after three days.

Eventually, Smith went on to score 499 runs in the series – the most from either side – including three centuries, even as India came from behind to win the series 2-1.

“We’ll wait and see when we hit the ground. I think we’ve made the right decision to not play a tour match,” Smith said. “We’re better off having our own nets and getting spinners in and bowling as much as they can.”

In the build-up to the India tour, members of the Australian Test squad not participating in the BBL had a preparation camp in Sydney where the curators produced a practice pitch meant to replicate Indian conditions. Smith, however, was not part of that camp.

Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004, having lost each of the four series since.

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