Australia v India third Test: Record-breaking Steve Smith century leaves Test in balance

Steve Smith claimed another record off Virat Kohli when he saluted his 27th Test century at the SCG - but the 'best since Bradman' knows he needs more than a century to save Australia.

Steve Smith celebrates his ton.

For Steve Smith it was a long wait, but history says his 27th Test match hundred has come at breakneck speed.

Despite Smith’s triumphant return to the century club, there was no cork-popping in the Australian dressing room on Friday night, as a rugged fight awaits them at the SCG against an Indian side that refuses to back down.

Australia failed to capitalise properly on the platform set by Smith’s 131 and a 91 from Marnus Labuschagne, and a first innings total of 338 had been chipped down to a lead of 242 by stumps on day two, with India solidly poised at 2-96 in reply.

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India may well have won the day, but there was something comforting about watching batting master Smith back to his best.

Smith’s emotional and almost fired-up reaction to reaching his milestone indicated that the 14 Test innings he had gone without scoring a ton had been weighing on him somewhat.

The 31-year-old admits the tightened-up leg-side bowling plans executed by New Zealand and India over the past two summers have forced him to recalibrate his batting arsenal and on Friday produce his first century on home soil since sandpapergate.

“I think the plans have been different. I feel in a way sometimes less likely to get out, but harder to score, if that makes sense,” said Smith.

Steve Smith celebrates his ton.

“And that’s probably shown in a few of the games over the past two years. Just with the fields that they’re setting and the way they’re bowling, I’ve had to scrap pretty hard for my runs.

“But this game I probably was a little bit more aggressive early and tried to put it back on the bowler.

“Absorb pressure when you need to, put pressure on when you need to and I thought I did that pretty well in this innings.”

His dazzling 131 was described by commentators as “drought breaking”, but it’s all relative, because only Sir Donald Bradman has scored his many Test hundreds in less time.

Smith joined Test greats Allan Border and Virat Kohli in the 27-ton club, and revealed he has bristled at some of the critiquing of his run of outs this summer.

Steve Smith, dialled in! 1️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/SoHi1MQoR2

— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) January 8, 2021

THERE IT IS! 💯

A brilliant knock from Steve Smith. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/rjQHbfGFgH

— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) January 8, 2021

“I read a lot of things and plenty of people said I was out of form. It was nice to come back into form if that’s what you want to call it,” said Smith, who had both his parents in the stands watching his third ton on his SCG home ground.

“It was only about three or four weeks ago I scored two hundreds at the SCG. It kind of just makes me laugh sometimes when people say that kind of thing.”

Smith has taken 136 innings to make 27 centuries, compared to 70 for Bradman, 141 for Kohli and 255 for Border.

Batting partner and protégé Labuschagne gave an insight into Smith’s single-minded determination to making big scores.

“It was pretty much business as usual for him,” said Labuschagne.

“He doesn’t talk to me until he’s on about 40, so I know the drill.”

Smith now has Michael Clarke (28 centuries), Bradman (29), Matthew Hayden (30), Steve Waugh (32) and even the great Ricky Ponting (40) in his sights.

Ponting said Smith’s dam-busting return to centre stage was predictable because class is permanent.

“It was only a matter of time,” Ponting said on Channel 7.

Still, India refuse to go away, and Australia need a big day three to ensure the tourists don’t head into the second innings with one hand on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

But Smith has now equalled the world record for most Test centuries against India with eight in just 25 innings – bringing him level with Sir Garfield Sobers (30 innings), Sir Vivian Richards (41 innings) and Ponting (51 innings).

Steve Smith is run out by a Jadeja special.

Australia lost 8-132 to ruin the golden chance they had to bat India into submission and things could have been quite alarming by stumps if it wasn’t for fast bowling geniuses Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins making desperately needed breakthroughs.

A superb caught and bowled grab by Hazlewood removed the dangerous Rohit Sharma for 26, before a superb catch from Cameron Green in the gully off Cummins got rid of young gun Shubman Gill (50) just as he was hitting his stride.

Originally published as Australia v India third Test: Record-breaking Steve Smith century leaves Test in balance

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