Men’s Ashes 2019: Sachin Tendulkar decodes Steve Smith’s batting technique

In the recently concluded Men’s Ashes series, Australia created history by retaining the urn despite a draw 2-2. For Australia, Steve Smith was the stand out performer who gathered a jaw-dropping amount of runs, 774.

Talking about his technique, Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar decoded his technique in a video.

Read: Steve Smith’s art of battling the boos

“In the first Test … the English bowlers tried getting him out (in the slips). The slip cordon was three slips and a gully. What he started doing was he would shuffle across and expose his leg-stump, so that he covered this line (outside the off stump). He was leaving (deliveries) and being selective, very smartly.” Sachin said.

Read: Smith takes different stance for different bowlers

“At Lord’s, especially against Jofra Archer, there were a few short-pitched deliveries that got him in trouble because he was actually getting in line (with the short ball) a little bit on the back foot. The most important thing for any batter is to keep your head position forward … or at least in line (with your feet),” Sachin added.

Read: Smith wasn’t treating Stokes right

“That’s why whenever the short ball was there from Archer and he wasn’t pulling and he got in to defend, he got into bad positions and that’s how he also got hit. But I’m sure he’s gone back and worked on his technique and his set-up … In the fourth and fifth Tests, against short-pitched bowling, he was leaving the ball (by ducking forwards) rather than (leaning backwards). So, his head was going forward, and whenever Jofra Archer tested him out with short-pitched stuff into his body, he was leaving the ball (correctly),” he said.

Read: Smith and Archer: This is just the beginning

“Whenever there was a leg-slip, he would not go across and expose his leg stump because he knew that the bowlers were targeting him in that area,” he added.

Read: Phoenix who rose from Ashes- Steve Smith

“If you go (across your stumps), it would be difficult to keep the ball down. It’s always going to go uppishly. But if you hold your left leg there (covering leg stump), then you’re constantly on top of the ball. The most important factor I noticed was whenever there was a leg-slip, he did not move his left foot, it was always guarding his leg stump,” Sachin concluded.

This is my take on @SteveSmith49’s recent success in the Ashes. pic.twitter.com/qUNktHt5ps

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 19, 2019