Dubai: Former South African skipper Graeme Smith feels the uncertainty in the Proteas batsmen’s minds caused their downfall and not the turning tracks during the four-match Test series against India, which ended on Monday with the hosts winning the series 3-0.
In an exclusive interview to Gulf News during the Masters Champions League (MCL) auction at the Grand Midwest Hotel, Smith said: “I expected the wickets to be like these. I was surprised they weren’t this way a bit earlier and actually we got away with murder in the One Day International series. So I don’t want to fuss about the wicket, because when you play around the world those are the challenges that you need to meet up to be successful.”
Smith, who will be representing Virgo Super Kings owned by Rhiti Sports, which is Indian limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Management company, in the MCL feels that his country’s batsmen should have adapted to play spin better.
“You don’t travel the world for nine years and not get beaten if you can’t play spin. Because you are playing in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka you need to have that ability in world-class batsmen. It just looks like they have got a little bit of uncertainty in their own heads. Ashwin has bowled particularly well and the batsmen looked to be tentative, more than anything, in their game plans. Sometimes when the wickets are not good the margin of errors is very small and we haven’t really won those small moments and have lost out, “ he added.
On South Africa adopting a ultra-defensive approach in the second innings of the final Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, Smith said: “I think in the game of cricket you have to be versatile. The guys [in India] had a tough Test series there so they were obviously trying their guts out and save some faces at the back end of their tour.”
Smith revealed he always loved playing in the UAE. “I’ve always loved coming here to play cricket and it was a nice asset to my career to come and play in this part of the world. Personally, I had a fair amount of success here also so I definitely looking forward to coming back here and playing and spending some more time in the region.”
When asked about the experience of attending the MCL auction, he said: “I was involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for a few years but never sat in the room so it is interesting to watch the process unfold. Everyone has got different tactics and lot of big list of players to choose from and it is an unique experience putting a team together from players all around the world and I am enjoyed it.”
