Melbourne: Lamenting Australian cricket's "aversion" to embrace unconventional styles, Steve Smith's formative coach Trent Woodhill observed that his famous ward's uniqueness would be accepted in the Indian system, where it is "all about the output". Days after Smith redefined the art of run-scoring in an Ashes series that belonged to him, Woodhill said uniqueness and unorthodox styles should be celebrated. "If Steven was Indian, his technique and mechanics and the strategy around his batting would just be accepted," Woodhill was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

"We see Kohli, Gavaskar, (Rohit) Sharma, Ganguly, Sehwag - all these players have unique techniques. The Indian system is all about output, about scoring runs, 'We don't care how you do it as long as you do it', whereas in Australia we wanted you to score well and we wanted you to look good." Smith dominated the series by accumulating 774 runs at an average of more than 110 that included three centuries and as many fifties. However, his unique approach to batting, especially while leaving deliveries, was discussed by those who view his technique through the classical lens. Woodhill isn't too happy with those struggling to accept uniqueness, saying this attitude can have a negative impact on a young player's career.