IND v AUS 2020: 'They've got enough quality to back him up' - Steve Smith reckons Rohit Sharma's absence will not hurt India too much

Australian batting stalwart Steve Smith believes that even though Rohit Sharma's absence from the white-ball squads is a big loss for India, it might not hurt them much because of the quality of players they have in the fray.

Steve Smith said in an interview with Cricket Australia:

"Rohit is obviously a tremendous white-ball player. He has proven that for a number of years now so it obviously leaves a bit of a hole. [But] I guess the beauty with the Indian team is that there are just so many batters coming through that are high quality."

He added:

"You look at someone like Mayank Agarwal in the IPL, just smashed it. K.L Rahul can bat at the top of the order as well. There are plenty of options there for them. The same with Virat and the Test squad, there are number of players that can come in and do a good job."

Rohit Sharma suffered a hamstring injury in the IPL and was ruled out of India's limited-overs squads to Australia. He is also very likely to miss the Border-Gavaskar series for failing to recover from that injury at the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore.

Steve Smith has acknowledged his inconsistency in the IPL 2020

Steve Smith had a warning for India today. He has 'found his hands' again. And history shows, that's bad news for bowlers#AUSvIND | @ARamseyCricket https://t.co/HPAkcL6UUz pic.twitter.com/oZoLKxxCkX

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 24, 2020

Steve Smith's picks for India's opening spots, Mayank Agarwal and K.L. Rahul, are also likely to be the Indian management's choice for the tour that starts with the 3-match ODI series on 27th November.

Rahul was the Orange Cap holder in the IPL, making a whopping 670 runs in only 14 innings at a strike rate of 55.83. Agarwal suffered an injury mid-season but isn't too behind with his tally of 424 runs at a fiery strike rate of 156.46.

The pair also scored a humongous partnership of 183 runs against Steve Smith's IPL side Rajasthan Royals this season.

How is that for innovation? 😎@ashwinravi99 grabs 🎾 racquet while @klrahul11 faces volleys with his 🏏 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/03ZV003SdV

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 16, 2020

Steve Smith's performances in the IPL weren't near as eye-catching, though. He made only 311 runs at an average of 25.91. He has acknowledged his inconsistency, and India would be wary of Steve Smith's determination to make amends this summer.

The ODI series will be followed by a T20I leg starting 4th December in Canberra. The much-awaited Test series will come next with the pink ball Test match in Adelaide on 17-21 December.