Steve Smith opening for Australia vs India blocked by former Australian legend

Former Australia opening batter Matthew Hayden criticized the decision to promote ace batter, Steve Smith, as an opener in the red-ball setup.

Matthew Hayden stated that Smith is more suited to play in the middle order for Australia, considering his success with the bat in his regular position.

Smith was promoted to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja after David Warner's retirement. Smith opened in Test cricket for the first time in two matches against the West Indies.

The right-handed batter has struggled to score runs as a Test opener for Australia and managed only one half-century.

The 35-year-old batter also failed to make an impact during the tour of New Zealand. He was dismissed for 12 or fewer runs five times in eight innings in his new role.

Smith has scored 171 runs at an average of 28.50, with a best score of 91. He averages 67.07 at No. 3 and 61.50 at No. 4 in Test matches.

Can't Argue With Steve Smith - Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden described promoting Steve Smith to a "completely different position" as "crazy." Hayden added that opening the batting in challenging conditions is difficult. The former batter also said that Steve Smith has established himself at the No. 4 position in the lineup.

"The rationale that [national selector] George Bailey gave was correct in so far as that he was choosing his best top six batsmen. Now, you can't argue with Steven Smith, he is averaging 65 [57] in Test-match cricket... 32 Test-match hundreds," Matthew Hayden said on the sidelines of the CEAT cricket rating awards in Mumbai.

"But the role of an opening batsman compared to a middle-order batsman is very different. And it didn't take long to discover that when you get into challenging conditions, like they faced in the first series outside of Australia, which was in New Zealand, that opening the batting is very difficult," he added.

I Think That's Crazy - Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden criticized the decision to promote Steve Smith from his established position. Hayden also questioned the rationale behind changing the batting position of a skilled batter like Smith.

"I, personally, as I said at the time, was on record saying that I didn't like changing. I think it's crazy to think that you have the world's best-in-class batter in a certain position. And then you change to a completely different position. For a few reasons, I think that's crazy. Firstly, why? Such a gun in that position, such a coveted player," Hayden explained.

The selectors overlooked domestic players with consistent performances in the opening role. With the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching, there are concerns about Smith’s position. Australia may need strong middle-order batsmen to face a formidable Indian team at home.

Australia might have considered recalling Marcus Harris or Cameron Bancroft. Steve Smith recently stated that he is uncertain about his batting position for the Test series against India. A decision is expected to be made after Australia's white-ball tour of the UK, which begins on September 4.

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