Melbourne Test: Smith smashes Australia past 500
The stand-in skipper scored a personal best 192 to anchor a stunning tail-end assault on India's bowlers
Red-hot batsman Steven Smith was bowled just short of a maiden double-century but fired Australia to a mammoth first innings total of 530 before tea on day two of the third test in Melbourne on Saturday.
In the form of his life, the stand-in skipper scored a personal best 192 to anchor a stunning tail-end assault on India's bowlers, who leaked 315 runs for the final five wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Smith smashed 15 boundaries and two sixes to all corners of the stadium, before getting himself out when attempting an audacious scoop shot behind the wicket off the bowling of paceman Umesh Yadav.
The 25-year-old's wicket brought the innings to a close and an early tea break, and he walked off to a standing ovation from the crowd of over 40,000, having all but sealed a series win over India with a game in hand.
India trail 2-0 in the four-test series and need victory in Melbourne and another in the final New Year match in Sydney to level it.
Bulky paceman Ryan Harris joined in the run feast, belting a personal best of 74 and raising raucous cheers from the terraces after registering his third test half-century.
After blasting a six to reach 74, he was out next ball, trapped lbw by Ravi Ashwin, when attempting a similar front-foot slog on one knee, but by then Australia were 482-8 and in complete command.
Mohammed Shami bowled Nathan Lyon for 11, before Yadav wrapped up the innings with Smith's wicket.
Shami earlier had wicketkeeper Brad Haddin caught behind for 55 midway through the morning, but Mitchell Johnson struck a quickfire 28 before he was stumped attempting to slog Ashwin down the ground.
Smith and Haddin had started day two with Australia still vulnerable on 259-5.
Haddin had looked terribly out of sorts on day one but pacemen Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami bowled too short too often in the morning, allowing him to play himself back into form with an array of slogged shots.
SCOREBOARD AT TEASCH
Australia 1st innings (Overnight: 259-5)
C. Rogers c Dhoni b Shami 57
D. Warner c Dhawan b U. Yadav 0
S. Watson lbw b Ashwin 52
S. Smith b Yadav 192
S. Marsh c Dhoni b Shami 32
J. Burns c Dhoni b U. Yadav 13
B. Haddin c Dhoni b Shami 55
M. Johnson st Dhoni b Ashwin 28
R. Harris lbw b Ashwin 74
Nathan Lyon b Shami 11
Josh Hazlewood not out 0
Extras- (1b, 9lb, 1w, 5nb) 16
Total (allout in 143.3 overs) 530
Fall of wickets: 1-0 D. Warner, 2-115 C. Rogers, 3-115 S. Watson, 4-184 S. Marsh, 5-216 J. Burns, 6-326 B. Haddin, 7-376 M. Johnson 8-482 R. Harris,9-530 N. Lyon,10-530 S. Smith
Bowling
I. Sharma 32 -7 -104 - 0 (nb-5)
U. Yadav 32.3 - 3 - 130 - 3
M. Shami 29 - 4 - 138 - 4 (w-1)
R. Ashwin 44 -9 -134 - 3
M. Vijay 5 - 0 - 14 - 0
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