Steve Smith on the field on Day 5 of the MCG Test vs India.
© AFP
Melbourne: He was aiming for a win but Australian cricket captain Steve Smith on Tuesday said he was not too disappointed with the draw against India in the third Test as it proved just enough to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy.(Dhoni Retires From Tests)
The hosts won back the trophy with their 2-0 lead going into the final Test in Sydney. Australia had finished their second innings at 318/9 at lunch and set India a target of 384 runs.(Match Report)
The visitors finished at 174/6 with R Ashwin and Mahendra Singh Dhoni holding ground. The Indian skipper later announced his retirement from Test cricket.(Dhoni Knew Kohli Was Ready: Gavaskar)
"It would have been nice to have won, that's for sure. But it's very satisfying to win the series and reclaim the trophy again. We had lost badly the last time but it was obviously in completely different conditions in India," said Smith.
"We still have a lot of work to do in those conditions. We do play very well in our own backyard. It's nice to have that trophy back now and hopefully the next time we go back to India, we can do a better job over there."
Australia delayed their declaration in the morning, thanks to rain. It allowed Shaun Marsh to close on to a hundred but he couldn't finish the job as he was run-out on 99.
"It was obviously very disappointing for him," said the young skipper referring to Marsh's run-out.
"I ran out a message about 20 minutes earlier and said 'you have got until lunch'. I think that's when he started to go after the bowlers a little bit. He played very well, which is a very positive sign for us."
"I changed my mind a couple of times about the declaration. I wasn't quite sure when to pull out. But I didn't really want to give India a crack with the batsmen they had in the shed and how good that wicket was," Smith added.
When asked if the close Adelaide run-chase played on to the decision for delaying the declaration, Smith replied,
"Yeah a little bit, and I think the wicket out here was much better than Adelaide. At least that pitch broke up and spun a lot for Nathan Lyon, which created opportunities there. We certainly didn't have that out here. It was a very good wicket to bat on and we didn't want to give them an opportunity."
Australia have announced their team for the next Test in Sydney, retaining the same squad with the addition of Ashton Agar.
"We'll just have to wait and see what the wicket is like," Smith said, when asked about the possibility of playing two spinners in the fourth Test.
"We're not too sure what it will be like. Last year it had a bit of grass on it and previously it's been quite a spin friendly wicket. So I think it's more of a see how the wicket is and if he's needed then he can play."
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