Steve Smith struck his sixth century against India and found an able ally in Glenn Maxwell as Australia reached 299 for 4 on the opening day of the 3rd Test in Ranchi.
Here are the statistical highlights from the 1st day’s play.
# Steven Smith is the 20th Australian player to complete 5000 runs or more in Tests.
# Smith's feat (in 97 innings) is the third quickest by an Australian batsman in Tests behind Don Bradman's 56 and Matthew Hayden's 95. His feat of taking 53 Tests to reach the milestone is the third fastest after Bradman (36) and Gavaskar (52).
# Smith's 11th century as Australian skipper is his 19th in Tests. He has posted two centuries in the present series -- 109 at Pune and 117 not out at Ranchi.
# Just three players have posted more centuries while completing 5000 runs in Tests -- Don Bradman (21), Sunil Gavaskar (20) and Matthew Hayden (20).
# Smith became the third skipper to post two centuries or more vs India in a Test rubber on Indian soil. He has joined West Indian Clive Lloyd (two each in 1974-75 & 1983-84) and England's Alastair Cook (three in 2012-13).
# Smith has become the fifth Australian batsman to register six hundreds or more vs India in Tests, joining Ricky Ponting (8), Michael Clarke (7), David Boon (6) and Matthew Hayden (6).
# Glenn Maxwell posted his maiden fifty in Tests, eclipsing the 37 vs Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in 2014-15.
# Smith and Maxwell were involved in a stand of 159 (unbroken) to establish a fifth wicket partnership record vs India in India, eclipsing the 145 between Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade at Hyderabad in March 2013. Australia's all-time partnership record for the fifth wicket vs India is 334 (unbroken) at Sydney in January 2012.
# The partnership is the biggest in the present series, surpassing the 118 between Pujara and Rahane at Bangalore.
# David Warner's tally in the ongoing series is 117 in five innings at an average of 23.40. He is now without a fifty in his last eight Test innings in India.
# As against his career strike rate of 78.20, Warner's strike rate in Tests in India is 53.06.
# Warner, in the course of his 19, completed his 1,000 runs in Tests vs India -- his tally being 1005 (ave.37.22), including four hundreds and two fifties, in 15 Tests. He is the 12th Australian player to achieve the distinction vs India in Tests.
# Matt Renshaw and Warner have amassed 549 at an average of 61.00, including six fifty-plus partnerships, including a hundred. In the current rubber, their opening stands have been 82 at Pune; 52 & 22 at Bangalore and 50 at Ranchi.
