Fourth Test: Smith's Unbeaten 139 Propels Australia to 454/7 at Lunch
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Melbourne, Dec 27 (NationPress) Veteran batsman Steven Smith struck an unbeaten 139 - his 34th Test century - as Australia continued their overwhelming dominance in the Boxing Day Test, reaching 454/7 in 113 overs at lunch on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
As day two commenced, many believed it was a chance for India to penetrate the Australian innings under the overcast skies of Melbourne. However, the home team had other plans, scoring 141 runs off 27 overs during the session, with Smith aggressively targeting the Indian bowlers.
Starting from 68 not out, Smith showcased his classic style – hooking, driving, and slicing with finesse to achieve his 11th Test century against India, featuring 13 fours and three sixes. This also marked Smith's fifth ton at the MCG and his second century in as many matches against India in this series.
Smith received crucial support from Pat Cummins (49) and Mitchell Starc (15 not out), forming partnerships of 112 and 43 not out that left India struggling. With three all-rounders in the lineup, India consistently lacked the necessary penetration with the ball, evident from their subpar bowling performance in the first session.
In the morning session, as India bowled tightly with Jasprit Bumrah causing some trouble, Smith was initially selective with his shots before quickly scoring three boundaries, with a standout square drive off Akash Deep in the 90th over. Cummins capitalized on the pace well, striking four boundaries off Akash, including an attractive ramp over slip.
Smith moved into the 90s by hooking Bumrah for six, eventually reaching his century with a magnificent cover drive off Nitish Kumar Reddy. Both Smith and Cummins took a particular liking to the erratic Mohammed Siraj – Cummins cut him for two fours, while Smith punished him with some powerful boundaries.
Cummins fell short of his fifty, attempting to loft off Ravindra Jadeja, only to be caught by a running mid-off, departing for 49 off 63 balls. Smith continued to display his sublime form, sweeping, lapping, and hitting spinners for boundaries, while Starc sent Bumrah over long-on for six, securing another session for Australia.
With Smith in such remarkable form, it will be intriguing to see if he achieves two significant milestones in the second session; he is currently just 61 runs away from a double-century and needs 52 more runs to reach the milestone of 10,000 Test runs.
Brief Scores: Australia 454/7 in 113 overs (Steve Smith 139 not out, Marnus Labuschagne 72; Jasprit Bumrah 3-97, Washington Sundar 1-49) against India.
