Cricket

“Respect for opponents is the truest form of sportsmanship” – Twitter reacts after Ravichandran Ashwin lauds Steve Smith for his captaincy in the last 2 Tests

by
Rohit Sarkar
March 15, 2023

The Australian national cricket team arrived in India with the intent to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy. However, as it turned out, they failed to avenge India in the BGT series following their home Test series defeat against India.

The first two games of the BGT series went in favour of Rohit Sharma and Co. India retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy for a record fourth-straight time. Meanwhile, Australia’s regular Test captain Pat Cummins flew all the way to his country to attend to his family illness.

Since Cummins didn’t return, Steve Smith skippered the team in the third and fourth Test respectively. Steve Smith led the team ever so well in the third Test match at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Australia went on to win the Indore Test by nine wickets and qualified for the WTC Final.

The fourth Test between India and Australia ended in a draw at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India also qualified for the WTC Final after Sri Lanka’s defeat to New Zealand in the first Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin lauds Steve Smith for his captaincy

Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin reserved the highest respect for Steve Smith for his captaincy in the last two Tests in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravi Ashwin said Steve Smith has amazing creativity before adding that Smith knows about the game very well.

Ravi Ashwin echoed that Smith led the superbly well in the Indore and Ahmedabad Tests. Furthermore, he said that Smith was spot on with the field placements or bowling changes. He also added that Steve Smith never let India take control of the game in the Indore Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin finished the Border Gavaskar Trophy as the leading wicket-taker with 25 wickets and was adjudged the player of the match alongside his teammate Ravindra Jadeja. India won the BGT series by 2-1.