"He's not one of those guys that's driven by stats" - Mark Taylor on Steve Smith's future after a lean Test series in India

Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor recently raised concerns about Steve Smith's form following his lean run in the four-Test series against India. Taylor added that the star Australian batter could arrive at a decision about his future at the end of the next home summer.

Smith failed to cross the 40-run mark in an innings in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, with his highest score of 38 coming in the final match in Ahmedabad. The New South Wales (NSW) batter, known to dominate India in Test cricket, averaged only 29 in the series with 145 runs in seven innings.

Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Mark Taylor stated that Smith will keep playing based on his motivation and how Australia perform. The 58-year-old expects the right-handed batter to decide on his future after the Ashes series in England and the home summer.

"It's always hard to read Steve. He's not one of those guys that's driven by stats," Taylor said. "He's driven by the enjoyment he gets by trying to make as many runs as he can, and obviously winning Test matches. If the side is playing well and he feels like he's enjoying his batting, he'll keep playing. But I also suspect the moment that stops, he might just say, 'That will do me'".

"I don't know when that's going to be," he continued. "Ideally you'd like him to do the Ashes, which I think he will, and then at least the next Australian summer. But it wouldn't surprise me if he got to the end of the next Australian summer and decided to call it a day. He'll be 34 then, so it wouldn't surprise me."

Before the final Test in Ahmedabad, the right-hander strongly hinted that it could be his last red-ball game in India as he doesn't see himself returning for the 2027 series.

Nevertheless, Steve Smith will be keen to redeem himself in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India in June.

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"He hasn't spent as long playing international cricket" - Mark Taylor on Usman Khawaja

Mark Taylor. (Image Credits: Getty)

When asked about Usman Khawaja's immediate future, Mark Taylor opined that the southpaw hasn't played as much international cricket as David Warner, who has featured in all three formats consistently.

"In a way, even though Khawaja and David Warner are the same age, Khawaja is a much younger 36, because he hasn't spent as long playing international cricket, and there's no doubt when you've played as much as Warner has it can wear you down," Taylor explained. "Warner's played all three formats of the game for a long time. Khawaja has played 60 Tests, which is about 40 less than David, and Usman hasn't been in the white-ball side for four years.

"You sense by the way that Khawaja is talking that there's some unfinished business for him. There's no doubt that if he wants to keep playing, he looks to have at least 18 months or two years left in him."

Usman Khawaja was the standout Australian batter in their tour of India, finishing as the leading run-getter, including a highest score of 180 in Ahmedabad.