The one lesson Steve Smith must learn from the India tour – he needs to keep his emotions in check

Somehow, someway, Australia served it right up to their vaunted hosts almost to the bitter end. After repeatedly picking themselves off the canvas, Australia fell away in the series decider in Dharamsala and had nothing left to give ending their dreams of achieving history.

Still, even in a losing cause, it was one of the gutsiest performances from Australia in a long time and continues their swift rejuvenation since the rubbles of Hobart last November when they were mired in a “full-blown crisis”.

Since that calamity, which turned the team into a national calamity, Australia has found several fresh faces who have helped fuel a successful makeover. However, undoubtedly, the catalyst behind Australia’s renewal has been their inspirational captain Steve Smith, who has steered the sinking ship back on course through sheer force of will.

Universally written off

Heading into the series, Australia was almost universally written off mainly because their batsmen were perceived as walking wickets. Australian batsmen, even legendary figures, have long struggled on the lower and slower surfaces in the subcontinent and this motley crew were deemed unlikely to curtail the rampaging menace of Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Surprisingly, Australia’s batting held up far better than anticipated due to thorough preparation at their training camp in Dubai ahead of the series. The batsmen were focused and disciplined, shelving the big shots to take heed of coach Darren Lehmann’s mantra to bat for the long haul.

However, grit and resoluteness can get one only so far as Australia eventually wore down against an Indian attack regaining their confidence after a turgid start to the series. It meant the burden was heavily placed on Smith who handled the pressure with aplomb to score 499 runs in the series.

Settling the debate

Smith became the first Australian to score three centuries in a series in India and ended, at least momentarily in the Test format, the debate over who is the best batsman in the world. Many had Indian captain Virat Kohli at the head of the list but his struggles meant he was completely overshadowed by his opposite number.

With his deputy David Warner in an alarming form rut, Smith was almost a one-man batting band much like how predecessors Allan Border and Michael Clarke often were in yesteryear. He was the prized wicket and you felt Australia would crumble every time he was dismissed. Indeed, Australia suffered disastrous collapses in the second innings in Bengaluru and Dharamsala when Smith was dismissed cheaply effectively costing them the series.

Apart from Smith, the Australian batsmen tried hard and fought valiantly but just could not sustain the effort for long enough. Redoubtable young opener Matthew Renshaw (232 runs at 29) was the only other batsman to pass 200 runs for the series to underline Australia’s over reliance on Smith.

Smith was almost impregnable and, unlike some of his teammates, was decisive against spin with precise footwork marked by a penchant to dance down the wicket. In challenging conditions, innately aggressive Australian batmen had to heed a more disciplined approach but most struggled attempting to recalibrate their game.

The ‘brain-fade’

Conversely, Smith found the right tempo between stout defence and counterattack in some of the best batting since by a foreigner on Indian shores. Many legendary Australian batsmen have felt the pinch in India, which further fuels Smith’s candidacy as an all-timer. Astoundingly, the 27-year-old is only just entering what should be his peak batting years but has already notched 20 Test centuries.

Smith’s overwhelming success in India ensures he stacks up favourably against Ricky Ponting, who is generally acknowledged as Australia’s best modern batsman but had difficulty in India. If Smith continues to pile on the runs he could very well finish as the second greatest Australian batsman ever behind the incomparable Sir Donald Bradman.

However, somewhat blighting his momentous series were several contentious moments, most notably the infamous “brain-fade” of the second Test and then being caught by cameras calling Murali Vijay a “f***ing cheat” for claiming a bump ball.

In the immediate aftermath of the fourth Test, Smith apologised for letting his “emotions, actions falter a little bit throughout this series”. It spoke highly of Smith that he was willing to put his hand up and acknowledge his mistakes but undoubtedly a return of his infamous petulance is disconcerting.

Despite his youthful exterior and composed batting, Smith is innately a firebrand and he occasionally finds it difficult to contain his emotions. In recent times, he has spoken about a desire to amend his demeanour and exude more positivity in the field.

Any way you spin it, Smith failed to keep his emotions in check and let the suffocating pressure get to him in India. A rattled leader is obviously not ideal for an inexperienced team in a hotbed of an unfamiliar location. Thus, truth be told, Smith failed his duties.

An inexperienced team can’t have a rattled leader

Smith’s behaviour has led to a bout of criticism – not just merely in India – with former Australian bowler and prominent commentator Kerry O’Keeffe questioning Smith’s leadership. “Is he temperamentally sound enough to be the captain of our country? Probably not because he’s so emotional,” O’Keeffe told Fox Sports. “We’ve seen when he’s on the field he’s overly reacting to everything.”

O’Keeffe makes some valid points and it was undoubtedly a step back for Smith, whose leadership and example set in the field had been almost faultless during the Australian summer. At 27 and having been skipper for around 18 months, it can’t be forgotten that Smith is still relatively early in his captaincy reign but he would be wise to look in the mirror and answer some uncomfortable truths.

After such an encouraging tour of India, there is a lot to like about Australia’s newfound team moulding under Smith. It feels like a Test renaissance for Australia- something that hasn’t happened for them since Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne retired a decade ago – is imminent.

Smith needs to keeps his emotions in check and volatility at a minimal to ensure Australia’s goodwill isn’t derailed by a hot-headed leader. If he can do that, Smith may end up not merely being remembered as a great batsman; he could be feted as one of Australia’s best ever captains.