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Australia v India: Steve Smith, Travis Head centuries dominate Day 2 at the Gabba

Steve Smith made a significant change, and then grabbed a slice of history as he and Travis Head punished India - before Jasprit Bumrah triggered a late collapse on a day of run-scoring.

Steve Smith brings up long-awaited century and celebrates in style

Steve Smith batted further out of his crease than he had in the preceding eight years of Test cricket, with his enormous strides forward yielding a metaphorical leap to match in the form of a droughtbreaking century.

Smith was a welcome co-author as Travis Head added another chapter to his tome of Indian woe, combining to at long last produce the type of heavyweight partnership that gone missing for much of the past 18 months.

“I feel like I’ve been batting well the last month or so, sticking to my processes,” said Smith.

“A lot of credit has to go to the top three, they faced a lot of balls each.

“I’ve changed my setup pretty much every game I’ve played for the last 15 years.

Jasprit Bumrah almost singlehandedly kept the tourists in the contest, and forecast rain in Brisbane over each of the next three days could render Sunday’s bulk runs fruitless.

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Steve Smith returned to form with a terrific century. Picture: AFP
Steve Smith returned to form with a terrific century. Picture: AFP
Steve Smith raises his bat to the Gabba crowd. Picture: Getty Images
Steve Smith raises his bat to the Gabba crowd. Picture: Getty Images
Steve Smith celebrates reaching his century. Picture: AFP
Steve Smith celebrates reaching his century. Picture: AFP

Australia was 7-405 in its first innings at stumps on day two, with Alex Carey on 45 and Mitchell Starc on seven.

But no matter what becomes of this Test, Smith’s 33rd Test century was a hugely significant landmark given his 32nd had come long enough ago to have left an entire financial year barren.

It had been 25 Test innings since the former captain’s last hundred — scored in late June of 2023 — the longest run without a ton in his Test career.

In his quest to recapture form through this period, Smith had tinkered with his grip, his batting stance, gone up the order and back down again. In the lead-up to this Test he had reverted to the exaggerated trigger movement that freed him up to score more on the leg side.

Steve Smith batted further out of his crease than he had in the preceding eight years of Test cricket. Picture: Getty Images
Steve Smith batted further out of his crease than he had in the preceding eight years of Test cricket. Picture: Getty Images

As it turned out, the biggest difference this time around — at least empirically — was how far he was coming forward to meet the ball.

Cricviz data reveals that Smith’s interception point against pace was 2.11m away from his stumps during his knock on Sunday. For all Test innings in which he has faced 20 or more balls against pace (excluding Tests in India for which such data is not available), that was the furthest forward he had met the ball since the Hobart Test against South Africa in November 2016.

In contrast, since the start of 2023 before this innings, his average interception point against pace was 1.72m.

It was not always pretty. He was tested by Akash Deep early, survived an umpire’s call lbw shout off Mohammed Siraj on 16 and was lucky not to depart after offering an inside edge to Bumrah on 25.

But the runs started to flow once he reached 50, with Smith taking advantage of an older ball and riding in Head’s slipstream.

The ton — which moved him past Steve Waugh on the list of most Test centuries — eventually came with a single to fine leg off Deep before he edged Rohit Sharma to first slip on 101.

Jasprit Bumrah (L) almost single-handedly kept India in the contest on Sunday. Picture: AFP
Jasprit Bumrah (L) almost single-handedly kept India in the contest on Sunday. Picture: AFP

Rohit had earlier dropped a tough chance off Nitish Kumar Reddy when Head was 112, although by that point the damage had been done. Head made the running in the 241-run fourth wicket stand - comfortably Australia’s most productive in Test cricket this year - cutting anything with even a smidgen of width while taming the short ball and even having the audacity to ramp Bumrah and Siraj.

Travis Head drop

Bumrah eventually found an edge from Head who fell to the second new ball for 152. The South Australian became Bumrah’s fifth victim after Usman Khawaja (21), Nathan McSweeney (nine) and Mitch Marsh (five) all nicked off to the superstar.

Marnus Labuschagne (12) chased a wide one from Nitish Kumar Reddy, curbing any momentum the Queenslander gained from his 64 in Adelaide.

Pat Cummins fell to Siraj — who had earlier limped off mid-over with an apparent leg complaint — for 20 late in the day but the match has been set up for the Aussies. Now they need the weather to cooperate.

Originally published as Australia v India: Steve Smith, Travis Head centuries dominate Day 2 at the Gabba

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-v-india-day-2-live-from-the-gabba-aussies-to-resume-at-028-after-rain-delays/live-coverage/d32dc895a150158db8944685183ebfc3