Team Indiapacer Ishant Sharma has said that Australia veteran Steven Smith was the most difficult batter for him to face in Test cricket. Both Smith and Ishant played a lot of red-ball cricket against each other in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played between 2014 and 2019. On the field, the two players also sledged each other. In 2017, when Australia toured India, a stellar level of rivalry was seen between the two players. During the Bengaluru Test, Ishant also mocked Smith with a facial expression to derail the Aussie’s innings. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, 2021, Ishant and Smith were also teammates in Delhi Capitals (DC), coached by Ricky Ponting.
Recently, Ishant Sharmaappeared on Raj Shamani’s YouTube channel and was asked which
batter was the most challenging for him to bowl in Test cricket. Responding to the query, Ishant acknowledged Smith's exceptional batting prowess. “Steve Smith in Test cricket. His technique is a bit different, and actually, with that technique, he scores runs. He is great,” said the 37-year-old on Shamani’s podcast.
Ishant Sharma’s Test numbers against Steven Smith
Ishant Sharma has struggled against Steven Smith in the longest format of the sport. Against the star Aussie player, the speedster splurged 176 runs in 14 innings. In only one instance, the pacer got Smith’s wicket. Ishant played his last Test match against New Zealand in Kanpur in November 2021.
Appearing in 105 Tests, the lanky India pacer grabbed 311 wickets in 188 innings. With these numbers, Ishant is the joint-sixth-leading wicket-taker for India in red-ball cricket. Ishant, along with legends Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan, is the only pacer to take more than 300 wickets while representing India.
