21 September,2017 08:57 AM IST | Kolkata | Gaurav Joshi
Similar to the 1987 team, Australia have a leader who will not tolerate any excuses. Steve Smith might not have the presence of an Allan Border yet, but he is arguably the most critical player in Australia's success
Steve Smith
The Eden Gardens will forever be special for the Australian team. It was here in 1987 that they won their first World Cup against England with the odds stacked heavily against them. Just like it was 30 years ago, the current Australian team will be underdogs against a rampaging Indian side.
Similar to the 1987 team, Australia have a leader who will not tolerate any excuses. Steve Smith might not have the presence of an Allan Border yet, but he is arguably the most critical player in Australia's success.
The blonde player, who made his ODI debut in 2010 as a leg-spinner, will play his 100th ODI match today. He will be keen to make take his ODI ton tally to nine. It was only in UAE against Pakistan in 2014 that Smith finally cemented his spot at No.3 in the limited overs format. Since then, he has accumulated 2757 runs at a good average of 53.01. While the numbers clearly state Smith is one of the best batsmen in the game, the Australian captain said here that he has plenty to learn. "I am still learning, evolving and trying to get better. You can never be satisfied and want to try and be the best you can," he said.
One man Smith will be looking to emulate is Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper might be on par with Smith in Test cricket, but in the limited overs game, Kohli is way ahead of his Australian counterpart. There is a fair chance that today's second ODI could be truncated again with rain expected during the day. Overcast conditions and the amount of grass had the Australian skipper surprised, but the pitch has been used before and there were a few cracks on it.
There is a slim chance that Adam Zampa could make way for Ashton Agar.
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