Smith continued to find his way back into consistent runs as he slammed a record-breaking century against India during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), continuing his love affair with the venue and the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 runners-up.
At the end of the day's play, India stood at 164/5, with Ravindra Jadeja (6*) and Rishabh Pant (4*) unbeaten at the crease, facing a mounting task of trailing 310 runs.
Having entered the series under scrutiny for poor form and being century-less for over an year, Smith got some respite with a century at the third Test in Brisbane, which saw him grind and play some scratchy cricket on his way to the century.
At the end of the first session, Australia was 454/7, with Smith (139*) and Mitchell Starc (15*) unbeaten. India simply did not have answers for Australian batters as 143 runs came in the session at a run rate of over five per over.
A key concern for India in their pursuit of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia has been the recent struggles of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as per ICC.
Rohit, the Indian captain, has managed only 152 runs in his last 13 Test innings, while Kohli's century in
Debutant Sam Konstas has revealed that he played without fear as he took on India's formidable pace attack, showcasing an aggressive style of batting on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, as per ICC.
Konstas, who initially struggled against Jasprit Bumrah and his fellow pa
Konstas set the landmark of becoming the second youngest player to score a half-century for Australia in Test cricket. At the age of 19 years and 85 days, Konstas smashed his maiden international fifty at MCG.
Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Vajpayee as a tall statesman whose leadership continues to inspire the nation and recalled the pivotal role played by the former Prime Minister in India's transition to the 21st century.
West Indies Women skipper Hayley Matthews expressed happiness following her ton in the second match of the ongoing three-match series against India Women.
As the series stays level at 1-1 heading into Melbourne, the role of Rishabh to throw a counter-attack on Aussies becomes even more important, given his past success in Australia and in Tests in general. After a fine home season, which saw him score a century on his comeback Test match follo