Matthew Hayden forewarns India about Steve Smith's form ahead of the 4-match Test series

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has forewarned the Indian team of Steve Smith's form ahead of the four-match Test series. Smith has amassed 1429 runs in 10 Tests against India at a very healthy average of 84. He has managed to breach the three-figure mark on seven occasions. 

'The wounded warrior': Matthew Hayden

“Steve Smith loves playing against India. He has almost scored 1500 runs at just sub a 100 average. He has had plenty of success against India," said Hayden while speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’. 

“He will be a little dirty as well that he wasn’t involved in the 2018-19 series where India did get up. That was a big loss for Australia and a big loss for him in person as well because in the 2014-15 series he had a huge average of 128 for something like that and 700-plus runs. So, he was a major contributor to that series. Sometimes, the wounded warrior is someone you need to be careful of," the two-time World Cup winner added. 

Smith was in sublime form during the 2014/15 home series against Virat Kohli & Co. as he amassed 698 runs in seven innings. He had scored a century in each of the four-Test matches. Aussies ended up winning the series 2-0.

READ: Steve Smith Enjoys His Coffee On 'switch Off' Mode Ahead Of The High-voltage Test Series

Can Indian bowlers keep Steve Smith quiet?

The elegant number three batsman is arguably the best Test batsman of this generation and is currently the top-ranked batsman in red-ball cricket. He is known for his unorthodox but effective style of batting. The elegant batsman has succeeded in rediscovering his rhythm in the longest format ever since his return to the game after that infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March 2018 that shocked the cricket world for which he and his former deputy David Warner were banned from international cricket for 12 months as a result of which they could not take part in the 2018/19 home series against India where Kohli & Co. won their maiden Test series on Australian soil by registering a 2-1 win in the four-match series.

READ: IPL: Tom Moody Returns To Hyderabad As Director Of Cricket, 2016 Champions Confirm

Nonetheless, he made a huge statement on his comeback where he scored over 700 runs in Ashes 2019 in England where he had received a hostile reception from the English crowd. At the same time, he also dethroned Indian skipper Virat Kohli to achieve the 'Numero Uno' spot in ICC Test Rankings.

After a disappointing Dream11 IPL 2020, Steven staged a remarkable comeback in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series with 216 runs at an average of 72 and a strike rate of close to 149 including two centuries (105 & 104 respectively).

READ: Mushfiqur Rahim Fined 25% Of Match Fee For Nearly Hitting Team-mate During A T20 Match