By: Sandipan Bose
After being called names and even questioned on the integrity front, the Australian captain didn’t lose his presence of mind. He knew where to prove his worth and chose a perfect platform to vent his frustration, if he had any.
In the end, Smith scored an outstanding century on Day 1 of the 3rd Test in Ranchi. It’s true that Australia won a good toss and lost a few wickets upfront. But, Smith was solid in both defence and offence.
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He also completed 5,000 Test runs in 97 innings and entered an elite club of achievers. Of course, Smith didn’t score as fluently as he would have liked, but his tempo was excellent.
If the Australians scored slowly in Bangalore, the pace at which they scored in Ranchi atleast on Day 1 was better. India too did well with the ball initially but lost out to Smith’s patience.
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It was his well grafted innings that took Australia to a different level. The visitors didn’t look like a team which folded up dramatically in the previous Test. Indeed, Australia were playing like a team which won the 1st Test.
The confidence of the team was better and so was its captain’s ability to erase all the bad memories. He came out in this game as if nothing had happened in last few weeks. It was his unassuming style which left the Indians frustrated.