Young Australian batsman Steven Smith, who is playing for Rajasthan Royals in this season's Indian Premier League, feels he has matured as a Test batsman but is also eager to regain his spot in his country's limited overs team.
"When I first started playing I played as a spinner and then when I got the opportunity as a batsman I was not quite ready either. To come back a couple of years later with a bit more experience and few more big runs has benefited me a lot," the 24-year-old Smith told PTI while responding to a questionnaire.
"Over the last couple of years it's been a big development. I have been trying to get my batting right in all three forms of the game. I think I proved myself a little bit in Test cricket and I will work myself into ODIs and T20, it's not too far away," he said.
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"I was a little bit disappointed (at not being part of the Australian World T20 squad). But I have plenty of time to keep playing all three formats. It was nice to get a little bit of rest and prepare for the next 18 months," he added.
Smith, who started his career as a leg break bowler but has now become a batsman-all rounder, feels he belongs to the Test level after waiting for 12 games to get his first hundred, an unbeaten 138 against England in the Ashes Test at the Oval in August last year.
"To me, I guess, a sense of belonging was there. I worked very hard on my game for the last 18 months. To get a couple of hundreds under my belt makes me feel I belong (to Test level). I worked hard on tightening up my technique, to become more patient when batting in Tests and it has paid off recently."
Smith has added three more tons after his maiden hundred, - in the space of four Tests - and one of them came against South Africa at Centurion in February.
