Jamie Smith said that opening the batting in England’s ODI series against West Indies has given him “great practice” for facing India’s Test-match quicks as well. Smith scored a 25-ball half-century – his first in ODIs – in England’s 7-wicket win at The Oval on Tuesday and said that facing “quality” new-ball bowlers has been beneficial to his wider game as well.

“There’s an opportunity there to go and play, and experience opening when the ball is still swinging and nipping around against quality bowlers,” Smith said. “It’s definitely great practice [for the India series]. It feels like we’re close to it now, we’re almost there. It’s been great playing these three games and obviously the Zimbabwe Test leading up to it.”

Smith hit at 180.35 across the three-match series, scoring 37, 0 and 64 as England swept West Indies 3-0 as well. He has been in the ODI squads since last September, having played in Test cricket last summer as Jonny Bairstow’s successor as well.

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“I feel good,” he said. “Hopefully, the next 10 days or so can go well, prep-wise, and we can head into [the] India [series] quite fresh, which is amazing. Hopefully, down at No. 7, I can watch other lads go and face him first,” Smith again said. “[He is] certainly a challenge there.”

Nor will Smith, who became a father in December, be watching the World Test Championship final next week. “I’ll have enough to do at home to keep me busy and entertained,” he said. “I’ll be trying to stay away and hopefully get myself mentally and physically in a good place for once the Test series starts, so come the last Test, I’m still feeling fresh and ready.”

“We’re playing the two best nations. It’s always going to be talked about, and the key for us and the group that we have at the moment is we’re focusing on one game at a time. Everyone knows the magnitude of what you’ve got coming up, but if we can try and stay in the present then it’s a good time to test ourselves against the best. We feel in a really good place, and I think everyone’s really excited and in a great place to go and attack them,” Jamie Smith concluded.