IPL 2021: Gambhir wants to put Steve Smith At No.3 and bat around him

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has advised that the Delhi Capitals (DC) play Australian batsman Steve Smith in Qualifier 2 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). On Wednesday, the two teams will face off in Sharjah for a spot in the final.
 
The batting order for DC needs to be improved, as it has been their weakest spot. The tracks have also proved difficult to bat on in the UAE, and Gambhir believes it is best to have Smith in such scenarios. Smith can anchor an innings in the face of strong bowling assaults. 
 
“For me, Smith’s record in the IPL doesn’t matter now. I think he has to be in especially, on a surface like this because if you look at the top order, Shikhar plays one way, Prithvi Shaw might have the best game or the worst game, Shreyas plays one way, Hetmyer plays one way, Pant plays his own way.”
 
“So Smith, probably, against a bowling lineup like this – against pace & against spin – he plays really well. So, I would definitely push him at no.3 and probably bat around him. Because, you need 140-150 on this wicket,” Gambhir mentioned.
 
In the middle overs, KKR has three frontline spinners bowling in tandem. Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Shakib Al Hasan can all reduce the scoring rate while also scooping up vital wickets. It's best to have Steve Smith against such a dangerous bowling lineup. With DC's unpredictable batting, everything makes sense if Smith makes the starting XI, according to Gambhir.
 
“The kind of batting lineup DC has, they can, without Steve Smith, make 160, or can get out on 80-90 as well. Because that’s the kind of batting Delhi has. So against Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, it’s going to be a difficult task, especially for the left-handers. So, I would definitely want someone like Smith to put some runs on the board,” Gambhir concluded.
 
The winner of Qualifier 2 between DC and KKR will advance to the IPL 2021 season final, which will be hosted by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The final will take place in Dubai on October 15.