Smith’s brilliant 140 guides Australia to a commanding 474.
Tags: India tour of Australia 2024-25, Australia vs India, 4th Test in Melbourne, December 26-30, 2024, India, Australia, Steven Peter Devereux Smith
Published on December 27, 2024.
Score Card | Comment | Graphs
Few players in the history of competitive cricket have tormented Indian bowlers as consistently as Steven Smith. With India hunting Australia’s final wicket on the second day of the fourth Test in Melbourne, Smith’s performance against the Men in Blue warrants a closer look.
Numbers tell the story
Smith’s stats against India are impressive. No other team has carried the burden as consistently and brilliantly as India. Over 43 innings, Smith amassed 2306 runs at an average of 62.32, the highest figure in any Test-playing nation. While he averages 124.57 against the West Indies, it comes from just 15 innings. On India, Smith’s body of work has had a wide and lasting impact.
Continuous form
Indian bowlers will not catch a break against Smith. India’s longest drought in centuries spanned ten innings from January 2021 to mid-2023. Even during this period, Smith managed two half-centuries and several promising starts. His ability to negotiate the Indian attack with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja is his batting hallmark.
The morning of important events
Day two was for Smith and Australia in Melbourne. Resuming the argument; Smith reached his 34th Test century In signature style, a perfectly timed push covers Nitish Kumar. True to form, Smith never rested after a century, taking the onslaught to the Indian bowlers, including audacious off-the-shoulder sixes off Bumrah and Siraj.
By lunchtime, Smith’s dominance had led Australia into a commanding position. He laid the foundation for the formidable total with his 112-run stand with Pat Cummins, who scored 100 runs in 90 minutes.
A special dismissal ends the classic innings
Smith’s extraordinary innings ended befitting his enigmatic style. Goes deep to Akash on the field and tries to slap it down the ground but only manages an inside edge on the back foot. The ball bailed him out, spinning and dribbling like a broken leg from a child. Smith could only watch anxiously from three meters down the track. Officially billed as Bowlad, The Farewell felt more like a comical self-run, marking a rare blemish on an otherwise impressive performance.
Woe to Indian bowling
While Bumrah continued to trouble Smith and co, Mohammad Siraj endured a tough morning. Siraj, who poured in 46 runs in six games, could not get the same help from the field as his teammates. Smith is big on sending short balls with disdain and filling the track to punish packed deliveries. Rohit Sharma’s decision to replace himself in the middle of the match to lead Siraj highlighted the struggles of India’s second pace.
The battle continues.
Smith’s innings may be over, but his impact lives on. Australia, riding on its brilliance, looks poised to mince words in this crucial challenge. The task ahead for India is difficult but not insurmountable. Cricket fans, on the other hand, can be pleasantly surprised when one of the game’s greatest players is pitted against the best bowling line-up.
Smith’s ability to control, adapt and entertain continues to elevate him into the legends of Test cricket. In India, there is hope that they will soon discover the secret to solving the mystery that is Steven Smith.
