A father's pride: Peter Smith on his son's rise

Steven Smith's rapid rise from a leg-spinning, unorthodox allrounder to Australia's 45th Test captain has surprised many, and none more so than his elated father, Peter.

It is quite amazing, it really is when you think about it," Peter Smith told cricket.com.au.

"What he's done, to be able to progress as fast as he has, he continues to surprise me, which is good. I like being surprised."

Smith was today instated as Australia's new vice-captain, his first duty to stand-in for Michael Clarke's successor after the skipper was ruled out of the remainder of the Commonwealth Bank Test series against India with a hamstring injury suffered in Australia's incredible first Test win in Adelaide.

With Clarke under an injury cloud entering the series against India, talk surrounded Smith, vice-captain Brad Haddin and opening batsman David Warner as possible replacements should the 108-Test veteran succumb to injury during the series.

While Smith's father admitted he and his son hadn't talked about the Test captaincy at length, they were aware it was a possibility with the strong media interest the leadership question created.

Now officially crowned as captain – the third youngest in Australian Test cricket history – Smith will lead a squad with only three players his junior, but despite never thinking his son would lead the nation, Smith Snr is confident Smith Jnr has the captaincy pedigree to excel at the highest level.

"I don't think you see that (a future Test captain) as a father. You just work with your son which is what I was doing all the time," Smith Snr said.

"We did a lot of work together and we just kept playing and enjoying it, we just had fun. 

"He's had a lot of captaincy experience. He captained representative sides all the way through, his club side as well, onto grade.

"I think he was one of the youngest captains of the Sutherland grade club as well, doing that when I think he was 19.

"So he has had experience doing that, but it's not something you think of as a father."

Peter and his wife Gillian and Smith’s paternal grandparents will be in Brisbane to watch the new captain toss the coin for the first time.

In addition to his junior experience, Smith has also captained the Sydney Sixers to the inaugural KFC T20 Big Bash League title in 2012, and the NSW Blues to the Bupa Sheffield Shield earlier this year.

The 25-year-old's first-class debut came in January 2008 for NSW alongside future Australian Test teammates Haddin, Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, where he batted at No.7 and scoring 33 from 76 balls.

One man who wasn't there was Sutherland teammate Phil Jaques. Jaques, nicknamed 'the Pro' for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail, was opening the batting with Matthew Hayden for Australia in a Test match at the SCG while Smith strapped on the pads for the first time in Shield cricket.

Smith Snr says it was that work ethic that Jaques drilled in to Smith during their time at Sutherland that put him on good stead to tackle the rigours of first-class cricket and beyond.

"I did a lot of work with him when he was young to a point when he was about 16," Smith Snr said.

"At that point it's time to say 'OK, you need to go and get other people are helping you and are working with you'.

"I was always in the background. At that stage it was time to go and talk to other people.

"He was very lucky he was at the Sutherland club where he had people like Steve Rixon and Phil Jaques, Glenn McGrath and others who were all there helping.

"The one who helped him the most was Phil Jaques.

"I still remember a lot of conversations with Phil as he was growing up through the Sutherland ranks just teaching him how to play first-class cricket.

"But also Phil didn't actually captain the side at that stage, but he was always a leader and he was a very aggressive leader, and I think Steven learnt a little bit from him in the way he approached his cricket and the way he did things."