Steve Smith is going to be very important for Australia as they try to win their first World Test Championship (WTC) title on June 7 at The Oval in London against India.
The Australian vice captain has shown over the years that he is one of the best hitters of the modern era. He is especially good at the longest version of the game, as his amazing average of 59.81 shows.
He has often played at his best against India. He has played 18 Tests against the subcontinental giants and scored 1887 runs at an average of 65.07, with five fifties and eight centuries. Not only has he done well at home, but he has also done well in India.
Today, June 2, is Smith’s 34th birthday, so we’re taking a look back at his three best Test knocks against India before Australia’s crucial WTC final.
1. 192 in 2014 in Melbourne:
When India came to Australia for a four-match series in 2014–15, Smith was on a different planet when he was at bat. After the first Test, Michael Clarke got hurt, so he was also made captain for the rest of the match. After scoring hundreds in Adelaide and Brisbane, he turned in a great performance on Boxing Day and destroyed the bowlers. Chris Rogers and Shane Watson’s flashy half-centuries set the tone, but Smith’s third hundred of the series caused a lot of trouble for the weak Indian bowling attack. The lower class laughed when Ryan Harris showed up with his own 50-year-old. Smith was on his way to a double hundred, but Umesh Yadav bowled him out eight runs short. Still, his great score of 192 made sure that Australia couldn’t lose the game and kept the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
2. 178* in Ranchi, 2017:
During the 2017 tour of India, Smith took his hitting to a whole new level, showing why he was probably the best test batter of his time. After two games, the four-Test series was tied 1-1, and Australia went into the third game in Ranchi hoping to get back on track after a heartbreaking loss in Bangalore. Once again, their leader led the way on the first day. He and Glenn Maxwell made a good team, and when they walked in, the score was 140/4. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were no match for them, and they both made great scores to put the guests in charge of the game. Australia played for almost two whole days before they were bowled out with a score of 451. The captain stayed unbeaten on 178 after 361 balls. Even though the guests had to save the test on the last day, they were able to do so thanks to a brave stand by Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb.
3. 109 in Pune, 2017:
Smith’s 109 in Pune on a fast, turning pitch was by far one of his best test scores. It was a masterclass of the highest order. Conditions for batting were very hard, so the captain let his guard down and played a fantastic knock to help India get out of the game. In the first game, Australia was bowled out for 260 runs. Then, Steve O’Keefe caused a lot of trouble by getting 6/35 as the hosts were rolled over for 105. Smith was missed many times in the second inning, but it was hard to be too hard on him because of how hard the conditions were to play on. He didn’t get distracted by any close calls as he increased Australia’s lead to 439. The next time O’Keefe batted, he got the same number of runs as in the first inning. The Aussies won by 333 runs, making it a famous foreign win.
