'It was probably playing on my mind more than any other game that I've played, to be honest.'
Australia's veteran batter Steve Smith has described the elusive 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket as a 'different beast' after falling just one run short of achieving it at his home ground in Sydney during the fifth and final Test against India earlier this month.
Smith, who needed 38 runs at the SCG to reach the landmark, managed only 37 in the match, which Australia won by six wickets to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after more than a decade.
The 34-year-old admitted that the milestone weighed heavily on his mind during the game.
"I don't read too much into stats and stuff, but 10,000 is a bit of a different beast," Smith told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
"It probably was (on my mind), to be honest. Normally, I sort of don't buy into any of that stuff, but pre-game, I was doing lots of media because I was approaching that mark."
Smith revealed that the No. 38 haunted him, so much so that he joked about forever associating it with teammate Josh Hazlewood, whose jersey number is 38.
"I knew I needed 38, and all I could picture trying to sleep at night was the back of Josh Hazlewood's shirt because he's number 38. It's strange like that, isn't it?
"It was probably playing on my mind more than any other game that I've played, to be honest. But, it is what it is. Fortunately, we were able to win that game, so it didn't really matter in the end," he said.
Australia will next tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series starting in Galle on January 29, and Smith hopes to achieve the landmark on day one if Australia bats first.
"It would have been great to do it in Sydney in front of all my friends and family because you're joining a pretty elite group there, I suppose, but it wasn't to be.
"As a kid, I never would have dreamt of that. I dreamt of playing cricket for Australia and having a career playing for Australia, but to get to this mark is a dream come true in a way," he added.
Smith will become the 15th player overall and only the fourth Australian to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket.
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