India vs Australia 2017: Steve Smith drops selection hint ahead of first ODI in Chennai

PTI

New Delhi: Is No. 4 spot of a batting line-up a dilemmatic place to be filled in? Well, both Virat Kohli and Steve Smith seemed to be lost in their thought ahead of the most-anticiapted battle, the first of the five One-Day International match between India and Australia in Chennai. While India's decision is still wrapped in surprise, Steve Smith might have whispered out his plan at a recent presser on September 17, in Chennai.

All-rounder Travis Head will be in line for the No. 4 spot amid speculations of him coming out alongside David Warner as an opener; while Hilton Cartwright is all set to make a debut for the team from Down Under, hinted the Australia skipper Steve Smith.

It seemed to be a big blow for the Australian squad when Aaron Finch was asked to rest for the first of the three ODIs owing to calf injury. Ergo, it left the opening slot wide open for Smith to ponder upon. Travis Head was his option, but the skipper put him at No. 4 keeping the possibility for Catwright to open alongside Warner. However, Smith didn't slip another word off his lips that could reveal the playing XI for the first match.

"I'd say Travis will probably bat four," Smith said. "I won't give too much away other than that. We're going to have a look again tomorrow at the wicket and see what's the best. There might be a bit of rain around so it gives us a chance to have a look at that and then name our XI. It just depends on the conditions. We've got a spinning allrounder, we've got allrounders who take the pace off the ball so we've got a few different options."

Smith could even opt for left-handed batsman Ashton Agar to fill in Finch's shoe as a pinch hitting probability, but the captain's statement seemed to express that Catwright will be the front-runner for the opening slot. And talkin g about the No. 4 spot, it has been real trublesome for the team since Gorge Bailey was dropped earlier in 2017. Six alternatives have been tried and now both Smith and coach David Saker reckons that Travis is apot for the spot.

"It's important for someone in the top four to go on and make a big score and we've got the guys in there to do that," Smith said "We saw the last time we came here in 2013 it was a run-fest where 350 was around par. So if the wickets are the same you need someone to go on and make a really big score."

Smith also revealed that the Aussies have a a good 30 ODI matches lined up prior to the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Ergo, trials with various combinations could prove worthwhile for the selectors.

“We had a chat about it the other day. We have about 30 ODI games before the World Cup. For us it is about trying to find the right group of players to fill all slots,” he said.

“Hopefully this group can go a long way into filling those spots and play some really good cricket in the next five here and the one-dayers to the World Cup.

As a team we want to win major tournaments and we are always looking ahead to ensure we are in the best possible position to do so. It is another step towards that,” he said.