Australia’s Steve Smith achieved another remarkable milestone on Friday, scoring his 34th Test century during the fourth Test match against India, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Smith's patient and well-constructed innings saw him hit 140 runs off 167 balls, including nine boundaries and two sixes, helping Australia to post an imposing total of 474.
Bouncing back from his previous century last week at Brisbane, Smith's performance is particularly noteworthy considering his recent form struggles. His current innings puts him alongside legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara on the all-time century-makers list, which only six players have surpassed, including Sachin Tendulkar's remarkable 51 centuries.
Back on day two, Smith and Australian captain Pat Cummins resumed batting at 311-6, after day one saw all of Australia’s top four score fifty or more. The opening day was not only significant for the Australians but was highlighted by Indian player Virat Kohli’s controversial shoulder barge on debutant Sam Konstas, which led to the former being fined 20 percent of his match fee.
On Friday, Australia built on their solid foundation from day one, adding 163 runs before Smith reached his century with a well-timed boundary off Nitish Kumar Reddy. Despite the strong total, India’s players struggled against Australia's razor-sharp bowling. Cummins struck early, dismissing Indian captain Rohit Sharma for just three runs and KL Rahul for 24, leaving the visitors at 51-2 at tea.
Each run was hard-fought for the Indian side as they faced Australia’s formidable pace attack led by Cummins and bolstered by Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, who made contributions with the ball—Bumrah took 4-99 and Jadeja grabbed 3-78. After Smith's landmark innings, the batting began to falter, with Cummins caught for 49 by Reddy off Jadeja's bowling, ending their 112-run partnership.
Smith’s dismissal came with some drama as well. Having reached the boundary for his century, he attempted to drive off the bowling of Akash Deep but got caught up as the ball rolled onto his leg stump. This curious dismissal capped off what was otherwise another stellar display at the crease.
Despite Australia’s dominance so far, the series is tightly contested, currently locked at one win each after India triumphed by 295 runs back at Perth, but Australia bounced back strongly with their 10-wicket win at Adelaide. The rain-affected third Test resulted in a draw, setting the stakes high for the remaining matches.
With the momentum swinging back toward Australia, fans will be eager to see if Steve Smith can continue this form and help Australia clinch the series against a determined Indian side. The cricket world watches as this thrilling five-match series between the two cricketing giants continues to deliver excitement and tension on the field.
