Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has backed Steve Smith as the opener as the clock ticks down to India’s tour Down Under for the gruelling five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.

“Steve Smith made the call to be able to go and open, and I think he should stay there. Obviously the safety blanket for him would be moving back to No. 4, but I would love to see him continue to take on the opening spot because he’s got the skill to be able to do it,” Watson said.

Smith expressed desire to open the innings following David Warner’s retirement earlier this year, and the former skipper has had a mixed bag of performances at the opening slot. The 35-year-old has racked up 171 runs at an average of 28.50 in four Test appearances, including a magnificent 91 against the West Indies.

“I believe the reason why he didn’t do so well over the previous couple of Test matches is just (that) he was a little bit off with his technique. You see (saw) him getting out a couple of ways which I’ve never really seen him get out before,” Watson explained.

“I know he would’ve had time just to go away, make some little technical adjustments, and if he opens and he makes those little adjustments, he can be incredibly successful as an opening batter knowing the incredible skill that he’s got,” he added.

Watson, who had earlier backed Cameron Green to succeed as Test opener before Smith’s promotion, had a change of heart after watching Green score a career-best match-winning 174 not out against New Zealand in Wellington.

“Cameron Green came in and batted at No. 4 and did a brilliant job. His hundred that he got in New Zealand was something very special and he’s the perfect No. 4 candidate now with the future, moving forward,” Watson said.

Even as the debate around Smith’s prospective batting position remains, Australia worries were compounded as they sweat on Green’s availability for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts in Perth on November 22.

The 25-year-old allrounder was flown home from the UK following the third ODI against England after complaining of soreness in his lower back. He has had four previous stress fractures prior to his Test debut in 2020 but the exact nature of his current injury has yet to be confirmed.

Cricket Australia’s medical team have been carefully assessing scans over the past two weeks to map out a plan for his recovery with an announcement on his availability for the India series expected to come this week.

Gabba should have hosted first Test

Expressing his reservation over Cricket Australia doing away with the traditional norm of allotting the opening Test to Brisbane and instead opting for Perth, Watson said traditionally at the start of the Australian summer, the Gabba could have been more challenging for the visitors.

“I’m a traditionalist at heart. Growing up, the Gabba was always the first Test match and that’s the Test match I used to go to. The Gabba is a more challenging place to play for the foreign teams because there’s bounce, there’s seam, there’s swing, and it’s hot and humid. So it just provides a few more challenges, whereas Perth, for example, it’s not humid, the ball doesn’t swing as much, doesn’t necessarily seam as much as well,” he explained.

“I always just love the Gabba as being the place for the touring team to be able to come in and have to try and just take on the Australian conditions at their most challenging.”

The Gabbatoir in Brisbane had been an Australian stronghold for decades, with the home side enjoying a 16-2 win-loss record in Tests in the last 20 years. But of late, the fortress has been breached when India famously clinched the 2020-21 series by handing Australia their first Test defeat at the Gabba in 32 years. Earlier this year, the West Indies claimed an upset 8-run win in January.

After the opener in Perth, the Test series will move to Adelaide for the second Test scheduled from December 6 to 10. After that, fans will turn their attention to the Gabba for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest between the World Test Championships leaders.