Steve Smith had a busy day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday on the second day of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With his 11th century against India in the opening session, the Australian batsman made history by becoming the most successful century-maker in Test cricket.
Smith became the joint seventh-highest century-maker in Test cricket history with his incredible 140 from a 197-ball innings, which also marked his 34th Test century. He became one of the greats like Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Sunil Gavaskar. Smith is currently the second-highest century-maker in Australia, only surpassed by Ricky Ponting’s 41 hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar, with an unmatched 51 centuries, still holds the record.
Smith’s brilliant innings came to an unexpected and strange end in the post-lunch session. While facing the first ball of fast bowler Akash Deep’s 115th over, Smith tried to hit a strong shot, but the ball fell on the stumps. Smith was momentarily stunned by the sudden, unexpected dismissal, but he walked away smiling amid the welcome of the MCG crowd. There was satisfaction in the fact that it took a long time and a huge effort to get him out.
Australia was eight down, and Smith was running out of partners when he was dismissed. Though it ultimately led to one of the more unusual moments of the game, his bold try at a big shot demonstrated his determination.
Smith’s brilliant performance at the MCG has further enhanced his stature. In 113 Test matches, Steve Smith has scored 9,949 runs at an average of 56.85, including 34 centuries and 41 half-centuries. Such achievements put Smith in the category of modern great players.
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