NEW DELHI: Australian batting stalwart Steve Smith maintained his confidence despite a lengthy period without significant scores, asserting he was never out of form but merely short of runs.
His belief was vindicated with consecutive Test centuries against India, following an 18-month period without a hundred.
At the MCG on Friday, Smith achieved his 34th Test century, matching Sunil Gavaskar's previous world record, following his 33rd hundred in Brisbane.
When questioned about managing the period of lower scoring, Smith shared his introspective thoughts.
"Sometimes you can be hitting the ball really nicely, which I think I said to all you guys when I wasn't scoring the runs. I actually felt like I was batting pretty well. And there's a difference, I think, between being out of form and out of runs. So, yeah, I thought I was hitting the ball nicely," Smith explained at the press conference after the end of day's play.
The experienced batter emphasised the importance of self-belief, stating, "I mean, you've got to have faith. You've got to have a bit of trust in what you're trying to do. I've played the game for long enough now to know that you can have your ups and downs. Having some faith and confidence."
Smith acknowledged the role of fortune, particularly on challenging wickets: "I think you need a lot of luck on these wickets to get big runs as well, the ones we're playing at the moment. And last week I had my fair share. I think I got an umpire's call and got beaten on numerous occasions as to on other days, I would nick it."
Regarding Australia's aggressive batting approach on day two after resuming at 311 for six, Smith clarified there was no specific strategy with Pat Cummins: "There wasn't really a general plan. It was just go out there and play. Yeah, there wasn't a real plan. It was just go out and play and see what's going on. I thought Patty (Cummins) played really nicely. Really good, positive intent."
