Smith searching for time in the middle to arrest slump

World No.1 batsman Steve Smith is desperately chasing rhythm from more time in the middle as he seeks to drag himself out of a worrying form slump in the Test arena.

Smith, named this week as the ICC's Test player of the decade, has averaged just 26.40 with the bat for Australia since his superhuman effort in the 2019 Ashes - well down on his average of 61.33 throughout his glittering career.

The quirky right-hander blasted two hundreds in the three-match Dettol ODI series against India this summer but has managed just 10 runs at 3.33 during the first two Vodafone Test matches.

He made a duck and eight in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG - where he had averaged a mind-boggling 113.50 in seven previous Tests.

"At the moment I'm searching for time in the middle; that's the most important thing for me," Smith told SEN on Tuesday.

"When I look at this year, 64 balls is the longest I've spent in the middle, during those one-day games.

"For me, that's important. I find a lot of rhythm out in the middle.

"You can bat as much as you want in the nets but there's nothing that can replicate what a game can do, so that for me is what I'm searching for at the moment.

"That can be tough to do, particularly in a Test match when you've got some quality bowlers."

Smith has twice been dismissed by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during the Test series and was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, as he walked across his stumps in the second dig in Melbourne.

"I probably haven't played Ashwin as well as I would've liked; I probably would've liked to have put him under a bit more pressure," Smith said.

"I've sort of let him dictate terms and that's something I've probably never let any spinner do in my career.

"I've sort of taken it to them, been a bit more aggressive and made them change things.

"I haven't allowed that to happen, probably because I'm searching for just being out there for long enough.

"It's kind of a two-edged sword in a way, but I think I've just got to have the confidence to take it on and play my game."

Smith admitted he has found aspects of hub life difficult this year but won't use it as an excuse for his dip in form.

The 31-year-old has not seen his wife, Dani, in more than four months, having been in biosecurity bubbles on cricket duty in England, the UAE and Australia since August.

"It's a good stint away and those things can certainly have an impact on people's mental health and preparation and all things like that," Smith said.

"I'm not making any excuses by any stretch of the imagination.

"It's certainly very different times at the moment and you've got to be able to adapt."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT