Vikrant Shekhawat : Dec 15, 2024, 04:30 PM
IND vs AUS: The Australian cricket team has strengthened its grip in the third Test match against India. First Travis Head hit a brilliant century, and then Steve Smith also scored a century, increasing the difficulties for Team India. Although Steve Smith's century was not very big, but this innings touched many records and took him ahead of Indian captain Rohit Sharma. With this, Smith has equaled New Zealand's legendary batsman Kane Williamson.Smith's bat finally workedSteve Smith's performance in the India vs Australia series so far has been relatively ordinary. But when he caught form, he returned with a century. This century was not only important for the team, but also added another chapter to Smith's personal achievements.Steve Smith's 10th century in the World Test ChampionshipThis match is being played under the World Test Championship (WTC). Steve Smith completed his 10th century in the WTC during his innings. England's Joe Root tops this list with 18 centuries in 64 matches. After him comes the name of Marnus Labuschagne, who has scored 11 centuries so far. Steve Smith and Kane Williamson now have equal 10-10 centuries.However, Williamson played only 28 matches to achieve this figure, while Smith took 48 matches to get it.Rohit Sharma left behindIndian captain Rohit Sharma has scored 9 centuries in 39 matches so far in WTC. At the same time, Steve Smith has scored 3606 runs in 48 matches, while Rohit has scored 2694 runs. Apart from Rohit, Travis Head is also behind him with 8 centuries, but he is rapidly moving up in this list.Team India under pressureTalking about the match, the Australian batsmen have put their team in a strong position. With the help of centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith, Australia scored more than 400 runs in the first innings. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah gave relief to the team by taking back-to-back wickets, but Australia still put up a big score.The challenge for the Indian team now is to score big in the first innings so that the match can be brought to a draw. Also, it has become very important to save this match to ensure their place in the final of the World Test Championship.Will India be able to make a comeback?Australia has made it clear with its innings that it has come fully prepared to win this match. The responsibility now rests on the Indian batsmen to maintain a balance between patience and aggression. Batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill will have to play their role well.ConclusionAustralia has put India on the backfoot with a strong performance in the third Test. The innings of Steve Smith and Travis Head have given Australia a decisive lead. Now all eyes are on the Indian batsmen to see how they face this challenge. This match can prove to be a turning point not only in this series but also in the race for the WTC final.