Steve Smith's 5 best Test knocks against India
Steve Smith will be Australia's go-to batter in the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He enjoys a superb record against India and will hope to replicate the same in the upcoming four-match Test series, which gets underway in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.
The former Aussie skipper has amassed 1742 runs in 14 Tests against the Men in Blue at an average of 72.58, with eight centuries and five fifties to his name. Smith's numbers are equally good when playing in India, scoring 660 runs, including three tons and one half-century, in six games.
As Australia chase their maiden Test series win on Indian soil since 2004, Smith will have to be at his very best. The right-handed batter is a good player of spin bowling and the Aussie batting will mostly rely on him.
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On that note, let's take a look at Steve Smith's five best Test knocks against India.
#1 162*(231) Adelaide, 2014
The first Test of India's 2014-15 tour was played at the Adelaide Oval. The hosts posted a massive total of 517/7 declared after winning the toss. David Warner and Michael Clarke set the stage with brilliant centuries but it was Steve Smith's hundred that put Australia in the driver's seat.
He batted for 231 deliveries for his unbeaten 162, hitting 21 boundaries in the process. The New South Wales batter played some exquisite shots to keep the Indian bowling attack at bay.
Despite Virat Kohli scoring hundreds in both innings of the Test, Australia won the match by 48 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
#2 192 (305) MCG, 2014
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Steve Smith continued his stellar form with the bat in the third Test of the 2014-15 series at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Opting to bat first, Australia lost Chris Rogers and Shane Watson in quick succession.
Smith once again came to the rescue, holding one end tightly. He batted for 305 deliveries and scored 192 runs to take the team to a respectable total of 530 runs. His knock was decorated with 15 boundaries and two sixes. The ace batter made the Indian attack, comprising Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Ravichandran Ashwin toil hard.
However, Smith's knock wasn't enough to win the game as India came up with a brilliant batting performance to save the Test.
#3 178* (361) Ranchi, 2017
India and Australia traveled to Ranchi, having won one match each, with the four-match series on the line. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat first on a flat track.
David Warner and Matt Renshaw got the team off to a decent start but the Aussies lost both openers cheaply. Mitchell Marsh also followed suit soon after as Australia were reeling at 89/3.
Just when it looked like Australia's batting would crumble, Steve Smith came to the rescue. He held the fort from one end to take the team's total to 451. He played 361 deliveries for his unbeaten 178, which was laced with 17 boundaries.
However, India replied with a strong batting performance, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha hitting a double century and a century, respectively. The match eventually ended in a draw.
#4 111 (173) Dharamsala, 2017
Scoring runs on Indian wickets is no mean feat for visiting batters and Steve Smith mastered it during the 2017 series. The former Aussie skipper backed up his unbeaten 178 in Ranchi with another century, this time in Dharamsala.
On a wicket that offered turn and bounce, Smith worked hard for his 111, one of his best Test knocks, establishing himself as a good player of spin. He occupied the crease for 178 deliveries and hit 14 boundaries.
The other Aussie batters, however, hardly made any contributions as India walked away with the game and the series, winning the contest by eight wickets.
#5 131 (226) Sydney, 2021
Team India were bundled out for 36 in the first Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy before the visitors made a superb comeback at the MCG to level the four-match series at 1-1. The stage was set for an epic showdown at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Australia won the toss and got off to a decent start with Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne toying with the Indian bowlers. Pucovski's departure after a well-made 62 saw the arrival of Steve Smith in the middle.
The former No.1-ranked Test batter dominated the proceedings from the word go, scoring 131 runs off 226 deliveries before being run out.
However, the right-handed batter's century couldn't help the home side win the match as it eventually ended in a draw.
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