IND vs AUS: Steve Smith equals Brian Lara's record

Australia's Steve Smith delivered a stellar performance in the fourth Test of Border Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, leaving the visiting Indian team with a challenging task to stay in the game.

At the close of day one of fourth test, the match was evenly poised. Australia had scored 311 runs for the loss of six wickets, and both teams had a chance to dominate day two. India aimed to wrap up the Australian innings quickly and gain an upper hand with their batting, but Steve Smith had other plans.

The Australian batting maestro played a remarkable innings, scoring his 34th Test century. With this milestone, Smith surpassed Sir Alastair Cook and Kane Williamson on the list of most Test centuries. He also joined legends like Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene, who also have 34 Test tons each.

Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart for most Test centuries with an unmatched 51. While Smith has a long way to go to catch Tendulkar, he is closing in on other legends. Both Rahul Dravid and Joe Root have 36 Test hundreds, and Smith is just two centuries away from joining them.

Notably, Smith also holds the record for the most Test centuries scored against India, with 11 to his name.

Smith’s brilliance on day two has placed Australia in the driver’s seat, making it an uphill battle for the Indian team to mount a comeback.