Steve Smith calls India his home away from home

India is special to many overseas cricketers, for the simple reason that they spend close to two months every year in the country. They get warmth, love and affection here, and to many, including Australian skipper Steve Smith, India feels like home away from home. Smith spent a lot of time in the country this year, both during the Border-Gavaskar series as well as the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League in which his team emerged as the runners-up.

The Australian captain had apparently even got into the bad limelight for his rift with Indian captain Virat Kohli during the Test series at home. He received much flak from the Indian media for his ‘brain fade’ controversy. However, all of it was laid to rest once the IPL began. Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Smith said that he considers India “his home away from home.”

“I love India, and I really enjoy being here for long periods while playing,” said Smith in an interview with Hindustan Times, “We come so often, it has almost become my home away from home. I even have favourite restaurants. The food’s a bit spicy for me, but I can certainly make out the difference between North Indian cuisine and a South Indian preparation. Outside, the temperature takes a toll on you, but the warmth of the people makes up for that.”

Awestruck by Dharamsala’s beauty 

The 28-year-old who recently got engaged to his longtime girlfriend also said that he was amazed by the beauty of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. “Dharamsala is beautiful, but I must be politically correct, and being a Rising Pune Supergiant, say Pune’s my favourite city in India!” he said, “Honestly, my second innings 100 in Pune recently is something I rate as one of my best ever…and us going on to win that Test match was fantastic!”

He also admitted that he was not too sure of how he would like the country before visiting it for the first time, but the passion for cricket in India was something that amazed him.

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But the passion people have for the game of cricket makes it so enjoyable for a professional cricketer to be here. If asked to pick one thing I love about Indians, it’d have to be their enthusiasm for everything: cricket, movies and life in general. If I have friends visiting, I’d like to take them to a cricket match…you can’t see India through my eyes without experiencing the crowds and noise at a game.”