Steve Smith has conceded he thought “too much” about reaching the 10,000 Test runs milestone against India before falling one run short in the fifth Test. The stand-in captain will head to Sri Lanka needing a single to join Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh in an exclusive Australian cricket club.

Smith, famously fidgety and a poor sleeper during Tests – particularly while he is batting – reckons he has never cared much for statistics and milestones in a 114-Test career in which he’s averaged nearly 56. But, after falling for four in the second innings at the SCG to leave his home crowd, packed with family, friends and the three cricketing greats above him on that list gutted, he couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt.

“One run,” Smith said with a smirk on Friday ahead of his BBL return for Sydney Sixers. “It hurt a little bit at the time and would’ve been nice to tick it off in front of all my family and friends here at my home ground. I probably let it [my mind] wander too much throughout the game.

“It’s a cool milestone to tick off. I’ve never really been one for milestones but it’s a different story with 10,000. There’s only been a handful of people that had done it. It shows the longevity and consistency in the game. It’ll be a cool one to tick off … hopefully first innings in Galle.”

Australia’s 16-man squad to tour Sri Lanka includes young talents Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Cooper Connolly who will join their more seasoned campaigners at a training camp in Dubai. Smith said he’s not sure if Konstas will open in Sri Lanka with Travis Head another option for the top of the order after proving himself in the role on Australia’s last trip to India.

With veteran Usman Khawaja also a proven sub-continental performer it leaves Konstas in a jam after his mid-series injection helped Australia reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 win over India.

“I don’t know the answer to that right now,” Smith said of the side’s opening combination. “It’s still a little while before we play and we have plenty of options of how the team can stack up. We’ll look for the best option and whatever that is we’ll go with that.”

Smith backed the teenage sensation to figure things out for himself after a whirlwind introduction against India but said he would do his best to equip Konstas with the knowledge to flourish in the spin-friendly conditions.

“As a batter, you can only learn by yourself in a way,” Smith said. “You play the way you want to play because it’s your career. From there, you learn along the way through experiences.

“I’ve seen him bat like that and I’ve seen him bat more conventionally in a Shield game and do really well. He’s got all the tools and I think he has the ability when he wants to to absorb pressure, and he’s got the ability to put a lot of pressure back on [the bowlers].

“It’s something he’ll learn. He’s only 19, he’s a kid. He’s going to have plenty of experiences and he’s going to learn them along the way.”