JOIN USAustralian skipper Steven Smith admitted that the tourists were underdogs going against India in the four-Test series which commences here on Thursday.
“Yes, I guess we are the underdogs in this series,” he began here on Wednesday. “You hear comments like Harbhajan (Singh) who expects us to lose 4-0. That’s now how we feel. We want to compete here against India.
It’s going to be a tough series, they’ve got some quality players in their line-up from 1 to 11. So yes, it’s going to be difficult. But I guess what I want to see from my boys is ability to adapt to the plans we have in place, show some fight and resilience in tough situations. There are going to be difficult moments in games, some key moments that we need to identify,” he explained.
Smith also played down Harbhajan’s comment that this was the worst Australian side ever to tour India.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, I don’t believe that’s the case,” he stressed. “I’m confident in the squad we’ve got here to compete against India. No doubt it’s going to be a difficult series. India have played some very good cricket of late, particularly at home. So we’re under no illusions there, it’s going to be tough. But we’ve got the squad here that can compete in these conditions.”
Smith stressed on the need to start afresh, without thinking about the team’s performances in the past in the sub-continent.
“We have come here with a positive mindset. The more we think about the last time we came here or Sri Lanka, we start to lose the battle straight away. For me it’s about trying to learn from what’s come before us.”