Won't be overawed by Australian Test captaincy; it's an amazing thrill: Steven Smith

Steven Smith appointed Australian captain for the remaining India Tests

Following Steven Smith’s appointment as Australian captain for the remainder of the ongoing four-match Test series against India, the 25-year-old said that he had always dreamt of captaining Australia in a Test match and was also confident of having the support of vice-captain Brad Haddin.

Prior to the start of the series, coach Darren Lehmann had said that wicketkeeper Haddin will deputize for Clarke should the latter be unfit to lead the side in any of the Test matches. But Clarke’s legitimate concern over whether he’ll ever play for Australia again has led to the selectors opting for a more long-term captaincy option in Smith. The 33-year-old Clarke injured his right hamstring during the first Test and was consequently ruled out of the rest of the series.

"It's obviously been a pretty whirlwind 18 months for me personally, and for the team as well," Smith said. "For this to come up so quickly, it's an amazing thrill. It's something that I've always dreamt of doing. To now have the opportunity to lead Australia in a Test match and the rest of this series, it's an amazing thrill."

Seniors will support me 100%: Smith

Smith, at 25, is one of the youngest members in the current Australian set-up, but he has no worries about the enormity of the job at hand, adding that his experience of captaining New South Wales as well as Sydney Sixers at the domestic level will definitely come to his aid.

"I've had a bit of leadership experience with New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers," he said. "I know at the Sixers I had some older heads there with Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill. To lead those guys was a big thrill for me. I know coming out at the Gabba, our senior guys will support me 100%, and Brad Haddin, who I'm very close with, as the vice-captain will be right behind me.

"I'm extremely close to Brad and when I told him yesterday that Rod called me, I think he knew what was going on. He's over the moon for me, he's proud as punch. I'm certainly going to look to Brad out there as Michael always does. He's a terrific team man and he's got a great cricket brain as well. He's certainly someone I can lean on out in the middle as well."

My hundred against South Africa was a big eye-opener: Smith

The New South Welshman started off his Australian career as a leg-spinner who could bat a bit, but over the last 12 months, his game has undergone a remarkable transformation and he is now undoubtedly one of the pre-eminent batsmen in the country. Since the start of the Ashes series at home last year, he has racked up 984 runs from 11 Tests at an imposing aggregate of 61.50.

Talking about his impressive run, he said: "My hundred I scored at Centurion against the South Africa team was a big eye-opener for me," he said. "They were arguably the best attack in the world, and in their conditions, to be able to score a hundred there under a bit of pressure with the circumstance we were in was pretty special. Ever since that moment it's gone uphill from there and hopefully it continues to be that way.

"I think patience is the biggest word for me. I go out there now and don't look to try to hit every single ball to the fence. I think when I first started I was probably a bit too aggressive and now I know I can bat a lot of time and just be patient. So, particularly on a wicket like the Gabba out here, you can let a lot of balls go on a length and when you get in on a wicket like this it's beautiful to bat on."