Smith declares turning point has arrived in India

STEVE Smith has declared Australia has finally vanquished their demons away from home as he reserved special praise for the performance of resurgent spinner Nathan Lyon.

The Australian captain couldn’t hide his forlorn despair at the key moments which ultimately sent his team slipping to a 2- 1 series defeat when the Border Gavaskar trophy was their’s for the taking.

However, Smith said after licking his wounds following a crushing eight- wicket defeat in Dharamsala, his team had to sit back and appreci- ate what they had achieved in India only a couple of months after crisis beset Australian cricket in Hobart.

When the focus turns to a home Ashes summer and then another final frontier assault in England in 2019, Australia’s young and inexperienced side have put themselves in a position to return to their glory days as an international powerhouse.

Nathan Lyon had gone within a whisker of being dumped from the Test side on two occasions at home as he went more than 600 first- class deliveries without a wicket.

Lyon’s commanding 19 wicket performance in this series – joint leader with fellow spinner Steve O’Keefe – personified the grit, skill and self- belief of a gallant Australian team.

“Nathan Lyon, the way that he has been able to adapt and bowl the way we want him to bowl, he has got two five- wicket hauls, both in the first innings of games,” said Smith.

“This team has grown so quickly. We are still a very young side. It wasn’t too long ago we were at Hobart and it was the end of the world.

“Coming over here we were written off. We were going to lose 4- 0, but the way we competed it has been great to be part of a fantastic series played in a good style and credit has to go to India for winning. It’s good that these guys are thinking about the game and finding ways to have success in these conditions.

“It’s been a great learning curve for all the boys in the room. They are hurting now.

“It’s always tough when you lose a series at the final hurdle but the guys are going to take so much out of this series.”

Smith was proud of his own ability to lead from the front – his 499 runs, including three centuries at a staggering average of 71.28, was one of the great performances by an international player on Indian soil.