Will take a duck in 100th ODI if Australia win at the end: Smith

On the eve of playing his 100th One-Day International (ODI) at the Eden Gardens against India, Australia skipper Steve Smith said he would happily take a duck if his team crosses the finishing line eventually.

"It's not about personal glory its about the team doing well. I think it's all about the team success. I will happily take a duck tomorrow if we can win the game," Smith, who has 3188 runs in 99 ODIs so far, said at an event here when asked about his batting ambitions going into the century of limited-overs cricket.

Smith is rated as one of the finest batsmen in contemporary times and is often compared with India counterpart Virat Kohli.

"I did not believe I would be playing 100 games. Things have gone well in the last few years as a full time batsman," Smith, who was a leg-spinner before turning into a batsman, said.

Asked how he manages to keep the Australian dressing room together with big personalities in there, Smith said: "Everyone's not going to get along with everyone. When you cross the line you want to ensure that they have each other's back and that's really important.

"It's nice to have different characters. It's great to lead them and it's satisfying as a leader to overcome those challenges and make sure we all are in the right direction."

Smith said he is looking forward to the Ashes at home starting November 23.

"It's exciting. I am looking forward to our Ashes campaign. They are great to be involved in and it's up there with Australia and India battles."

Smith was asked to choose between the three formats of the game and the 28-year-old, who has 5,370 runs in 56 Tests at an average of 59.66, waxed lyrical on the five-day format, adding he enjoys playing all three of them.

Smith felt besides Australia, India, England and South Africa, other teams have also improved in recent times, adding the game is in a good space.

"Some of the other teams are getting better. We played against Bangladesh just recently and they beat us in the first Test. Some other teams are coming up like Afghanistan who have produced some good players like Rashid Khan. So I am not worried. I think the game is in a pretty good space."

--IANS

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