Smith's 'how to' guide for India batters

One of the most successful opening batsmen to have ever toured England has offered some timely advice for India's troubled batsmen as they seek a series-levelling win in the fourth Test against England.

Shikhar Dhawan's 44 in the third Test is the top score from an Indian opener in the series so far, while Murali Vijay was dropped after failures in the first two Tests.

With India trailing 2-1 and set for their first innings at Southampton's Rose Bowl on Friday, top order runs are an area of concern for the visitors, as England's James Anderson chases the all-time pace bowling Test wicket-taking record.

South African Graeme Smith is one of only eight men in the history of Test cricket to have scored more than 1,000 runs as an opening batsman touring England, and the left-hander preached patience.

"For an opening batter I think it's a must (to wait for the ball to come to you)," Smith told Cricbuzz.

"Some guys probably have better cover drives than me but until you're in, against the swinging ball you want to try and take the lowest risk options to get yourself in.

"Generally, the way I felt as a left-hander was lining myself up to punch the ball back at the bowler. Command that off stump area.

"If it was outside off stump then leave well; if he gave me an opportunity to cut then make sure I would take advantage of it; if it was straight then I'd take advantage of it.

"Then as you get in, you can look to play the cover drive, open up a few more scoring areas.

"Unless the wicket looked flat and it wasn't swinging, I was setting myself up to hit the ball back at the bowler, leaving well and looking to cut. Those were my early first scoring options."

Smith's maiden Test innings on English soil was memorable – 277 runs at Edgbaston in 2003 – and he followed that with a second double-century at Lord's in the next Test.

Two more centuries followed on the 2008 tour, and he reached triple figures again in 2012 for a career aggregate of 1,355 runs at 67.75 opening in England.

That places him third on the all-time list of runs scored by visiting openers in England, behind Mark Taylor's 1,584 at 52.80 in the 1990s and Gordon Greenidge's 1,570 at 56.07.

Smith's time coincided with the early career of Anderson, who now needs seven wickets to surpass Glenn McGrath as pace bowling's all-time leading Test wicket-taker.

Anderson has improved greatly with experience, and Smith was able to capitalise on the seamer throughout their battles.

"With Jimmy, I thought his inswinger would be the most effective delivery to someone like me but he changed tactics and used a lot of away swingers at me, which I actually preferred," Smith said.

"For one, it pulled his length back – whenever he bowled his away swingers at me it was more back of a length than full.

"And I also used to pick his away swingers quite easily out of his hands. When he bowled his in-swingers he's at the stumps, his length is always a touch fuller. I found that more challenging.

 Maybe it gave you some more scoring options because occasionally he would get too straight and I'd be able to put him away. But I thought when he bowled his in-swinger, his length was a lot more effective than when he bowled his away swinger."

Smith's South Africa drew the 2003 series 2-2 and won in 2008 and 2012. The England sides he faced "never really had a Plan B" he claimed, underling the importance of building partnerships.

"Mindset is key," said Smith. "When we won there two tours in a row, as a batting unit we spoke a lot about how we wanted to play. Making sure against England in particular that you don't allow them to get on a roll.

"Like most teams they've got a bit of sting but if you get through it then options will open up.

"The teams I have faced, I always found their motto generally was to try and hold the run rate. But once you got through that initial phase and the partnerships start to build, they never really had a Plan B.

"Especially if the ball doesn't swing for them or if you can negate that then Plan B is gone. Then you're in and you're building the partnerships."