Published 19:39 IST, March 3rd 2021
Steve Smith says he will be rooting for England in 4th Test Vs India for an obvious reason
Steve Smith has said that he will be cheering for England in the all-important 4th & final Test against India at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad starting Thu
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Australian batting mainstay Smith has made it clear that he will be cheering for England in the upcoming fourth and final Test match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that gets underway on Thursday. While England will be looking to secure the Test series with a 2-2 margin, there is a lot more at stake beyond that and the Australians will be watching this match keenly with their ICC World Test Championship hopes hanging in the balance.
'I'll be cheering for England': Steve Smith
During a recent Q&A session on Instagram, a passionate cricket fan had asked Smith who he will be rooting for and the Australian Test specialist gave an instant reply that he will be supporting his arch-rivals England.
"I'll be cheering for England this week. Not sure you'll hear me say that again though", said Steve Smith.
What makes Steve Smith root for England?
The Aussies currently occupy the third spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table with a 69.2 PCT (Percentage of points). After their three-match away Test series against South Africa was postponed earlier this year, it has jeopardized their chances of playing the WTC final. Nonetheless, the Tim Paine-led side are still alive in the competition. England will be hoping to have the last laugh by winning the final Test match and should that happen then Australia will face New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship decider in over three months' time as Team India must avoid a defeat by all possible means to qualify for the finals.
Other questions answered by Steve Smith
Apart from rooting for England in the final Test, 'Smudge' also went on to say that he is looking forward to working with skipper Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and, coach Ricky Ponting as he joins a new IPL franchise- Delhi Capitals. At the same time, Steven also went on to say that the game of chess involves a lot of strategies and skills while answering a fan's question on the indoor game.
When asked about whether he is interested to feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the number-three batsman went on to say that it looks like a good competition and also clarified that he is hopeful of getting a chance to play the tournament one day.
At the same time, the 2015 World Cup winner also made it crystal clear that he does not have any grudges against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals as he said that he just cannot say a bad word about the Royals as he loved working with them.
'Onto a new chapter now though', he concluded.
Steve Smith had led the inaugural edition's winners in IPL 2020. However, the 2008 champions had a forgettable outing as they finished as wooden-spooners. Smith was released by RR a month before the IPL 2021 Auctions and wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson has been named his successor.
19:39 IST, March 3rd 2021