Former Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has put his weight behind Steve Smith to step up in the third Test match against India in Brisbane. Smith was dismissed after scoring only two runs in the first innings of the pink-ball Test at Adelaide when he was strangled down the leg-side by Jasprit Bumrah.

Furthermore, Smith returned with scores of 0 and 17 in the opening Test at Perth. The right-hander hasn’t been at his best in the recent past and Australia will hope that he delivers the goods in the third Test.

“We know he’s one of our best players ever, and I’m certainly backing him to get some runs. I’m probably not in a position to tell Steve Smith what he should work on. We know he’s a class player, and he’s scored a lot of runs for Australia, and we know at times when we’ve needed him, he always seems to step up,” Marsh said.

In 111 Tests, Smith has amassed 9704 runs at an average of 56.09 with 32 centuries and 41 fifties

Marsh added it is crucial for the team to keep their focus on the upcoming Test and not think too much about the past.

“The biggest thing for us is just focusing on this week and not what’s happened in the past. The way we bounced back from Perth was an example of that. We’re really focused on playing our style this week and hopefully going 2-1 up in the series,” Marsh added.

The third Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane from December 14.