Steve Smith’s Bradmanesque efforts in this summer’s Test series against India continued on Wednesday as he notched up his fourth hundred in successive Tests.
Early on the second day of the fourth Test at the SCG, a day again dominated by Australia, Smith swatted a full toss on his pads from Umesh Yadav through midwicket for four to bring up his hundred.
He later fell caught behind to the right-armer for 117.
Smith put his name in the history books as he added to his 162no in Adelaide, 133 in Brisbane and 192 in Melbourne.
The stand-in Australia skipper has become the first captain in the history of Test cricket to score 100 in his first three matches as leader.
The 25-year-old also joins Jacques Kallis as the only player to score a hundred in every Test of a four Test series.
In addition to that, Smith joins Sir Donald Bradman, Neil Harvey, Jack Fingleton and Matthew Hayden as the only Australian batsmen to score hundreds in four or more successive Tests.
Smith has scored 698 runs in his seven innings in this series at 139.60.
The stand-in Aussie skipper needs just 18 runs in the second innings of this final Test to eclipse Bradman’s record of the most runs in a Test series against India.
Bradman notched 715 runs against India in the 1947-48 season.
“It’s been a pretty special summer for me personally with some of the results that I have got,” Smith said.
“I always look at the team first and I think that the success of the team over the last little bit has been outstanding and we are in another good position in this Test match.
Smith’s sublime form even prompted an Indian journalist to query him whether he had been at all troubled by any of India’s bowlers over the course of the series.
The Australian No.4 has come a long way since struggling against England in the humiliating Ashes loss several summers ago shortly after his Test debut, and having to work his way back into the national side.
“Getting dropped is always disappointing, you know you have to go back to state cricket and do well,” he said.
“For me it was about finding a technique and temperament to succeed at that level firstly and then the level above.
“I am really happy with the progress I have made over past 18 months or so.”
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