Australia v India: How bouncing Aussies could stop Indians using their biggest weapon

Australia is hopeful India will revert to a bouncer barrage when things get tough this summer, knowing it could take away one of the tourists’ greatest weapons.

Steve Smith won’t duck for cover if India pepper him with the short stuff.

Steve Smith has dared India to try and exploit his so-called weakness to short-pitch bowling, setting the scene for a fiery start to the summer.

The Aussie superstar was famously headhunted by England firebrand Jofra Archer in the 2019 Ashes, before New Zealander Neil Wagner set out the first plausible blueprint for how to bowl to Smith last summer, after containing him with a series-worth of unrelenting short balls.

As the Australians brace for an all-out attack on the world’s No. 1 batsman, Smith has a simple message: bring it on.

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Steve Smith won’t duck for cover if India pepper him with the short stuff.

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Smith is adamant the chin music is not his Achilles heel and says if India try to follow Wagner’s game plan to suffocate him with pinpoint accuracy, it will be at their peril.

“It’s no dramas for me. I just play the game and sum up the conditions, how they’re trying to get me out and being able to counter that,” Smith told News Corp.

“I mean, a few different oppositions have tried it and they’ve certainly found it more difficult to (execute) the way Wagner did.

“He’s got an amazing skill set where his speeds go up and down … everything is between your ribs and your head.

“If teams are trying to get me out like that it’s probably a big benefit for the team because it takes a lot out of people’s bodies if you continually bowl short.

“I’ve faced a lot of short bowling in my life and I haven’t had too many stresses with it. I suppose we’ll just wait and see.”

Smith insists he wasn’t scarred mentally after being floored by Jofra Archer.

The lasting image of the acclaimed Amazon documentary The Test, was Smith’s dramatic duel against Archer, where he was floored by a vicious bouncer at Lord’s, only to return to the crease.

Smith said he was never scarred by the experience against Archer, evidenced by his Ashes-sealing double-century in the fourth Test.

“I never really look at it too much that way,” he said.

“It was a bit up and down at Lord’s. That happened and I came back and made a couple of big scores. I moved on and trusted myself.”

However, Smith’s teammate Matthew Wade – another target of flying Kiwi Wagner last summer – senses a storm is coming in the shape of a fearsome Indian attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, and emboldened by their historic victory on Australian soil two summers ago.

“I think (short bowling tactic) will definitely be used, not just to Steve but to all our batters,” warned Wade.

Neil Wagner made life uncomfortable for the Aussie batsmen last summer.

“When the wicket gets flat I’m 100 per cent sure India will go to that kind of plan at some stage.

“Wagner’s ability to be so accurate with his short ball is something I’ve never seen before and I don’t think many fast bowlers have the accuracy to put the ball where he did in those difficult spots either under your arm pit or quite high at your head.”

Josh Hazlewood said if Bumrah – who decimated Australia two summers ago – can get sucked into trying to bowl at Smith like Wagner did, Australia will be cheering.

“If someone like Bumrah tries to replicate, I think that’s a win for us to be honest,” he said.

“It takes away from how he took all his wickets last time.”

Smith made two half centuries against New Zealand, but to not see him make a ton in a summer was a shock given his Bradman-like feats either side of his 12-month suspension.

Jasprit Bumrah poses a big threat to the Aussie batsmen.

The 31-year-old says he has learnt from the Wagner experience.

“Probably (I could have been) a bit more selective with Wagner’s short balls,” said Smith.

“But ultimately, I faced a lot of balls. We always talk about wearing opposition teams down and if they’re bowling short and I can’t score as easily as I’d like, it’s still of benefit to the team.

“When they tire, we get loose balls. We won that series 3-0 and other were able to score some big runs.”

Originally published as Australia v India: How bouncing Aussies could stop Indians using their biggest weapon