Steve Smith might not have looked his fluent best on Day 2 of the Gabba Test against India but he showed the world why he is regarded as one of the greatest Test batters of this generation. The Australian No.4 dug his heels in and fought his way to a gritty half-century in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This might just act as the proper fuel that announces the batter’s return to form.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, however, sees a silver lining in Smith getting back amongst the runs. The 1983 World Cup winner reckons that with the 35-year-old regaining some form, India’s Virat Kohli will now get an incentive to perform better.
Even Kohli has had underwhelming returns in the longest format in the last five years and centuries have been hard to come by for the modern-day great. After a ton in the Perth Test, Virat Kohli was dismissed cheaply in both the innings of Adelaide Test as he fell to his old problem off fishing outside the off stump.
“This will act as an incentive for Virat Kohli,” said Sunil Gavaskar on commentary on Day 2 of the Gabba Test.
“When you talk about the fab four (Smith, Kohli, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson) when the man at this end gets a good score, the man in the other camp (Kohli) will want to get a 100 as well,” he added.
Travis Head, Steve Smith punish India
Travis Head continued from where he left off in Adelaide as he hammered the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jasprit Bumrah to all parts of the ground. He registered back-to-back centuries, giving Australia the firm control.
The left-handed batter once again changed the complexion of the game with his attacking gameplay. He was perfectly supported by Steve Smith at the other end and the duo formed a formidable partnership, giving Australia a clear edge.
Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. On Day 1, only 13.2 overs were bowled as rain played spoilsport. On Day 2, Jasprit Bumrah started well for the visitors as he picked up the wickets of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney.
However, as soon as Head came into the middle, he changed the tide of the match with his positive mindset. The Indian camp was not able to come up with any solutions and even the bouncer strategy was not tried out against Head.
