I allowed Ashwin to dictate terms: Smith

Melbourne: Australia batting mainstay Steve Smith, who is enduring a poor run of form in the ongoing Test series against India, said that he has allowed off-spinner R Ashwin dictate terms to him and not put him under pressure as he has done to the other spinners.

"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 was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "I've sort of let him dictate terms and that's something I've probably never let any spinner do in my career."

Smith has been dismissed twice by Ashwin in the first two Tests of this series. The Indian off-break bowler had him caught in slips in the first innings of the first Test and then at leg gully in the first innings of the second Test. He was then bowled down the leg-side off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah in the second innings of second Test.

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

"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."

Former captain Ricky Ponting slammed the Australian batsmen for lacking intent while facing Indian bowlers, saying the hosts have to stop being "scared of getting out" to arrest the slide.

"(Australia) made 191 there (in Adelaide), 195 and 200 here. That's not batting in Test match cricket. And the worry I've got is how long it takes them to get those runs. That's my issue," Ponting told cricket.com.au.