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A fighting century from captain Steve Smith and a breakthrough innings from Glenn Maxwell have led Australia to a strong position of 4-299 after the first day of the third Test against India in Ranchi.
Smith's 19th Test ton came after one of the most difficult weeks of his career, in which Indian captain Virat Kohli brought his integrity into question and his team attempted to recover from a crushing loss in the second Test.
From the outset the skipper had a steel in his eyes, one that drove him through a near-chanceless 117 not out while his counterpart Kohli sat injured in the stands for the majority of the day.
.jpg/8361758 "Glenn Maxwell plays an indescribable shot")
Kohli landed awkwardly on his shoulder attempting to field a ball just after lunch, and spent the rest of the day watching on with an ice pack. The extent of the injury remains to be seen.
As good as Smith was, the day may be remembered as the one Maxwell (82 not out) broke through as a Test cricketer. Much maligned for his unorthodox and aggressive batting style, Maxwell played an innings of guts and maturity that has not been seen in his fledgling Test career thus far.
It took him 51 balls to register his first boundary, though they he soon started racking them up once he passed 50.
Pre-match, some believed winning the toss was equivalent to winning the match, and though Australia looked intent on proving that theory right in the opening session, it would hit some roadblocks.
Photo:
Smith mixed sweet stroke play with fighting spirit on the opening day. (Reuters: Adnan Abidi)
Matt Renshaw and David Warner added a breezy 50, before Warner contrived to chip a full toss back to the chest of Ravindra Jadeja on 19.
Renshaw was briefly undeterred, but fell into Umesh Yadav's trap on 44, prodding at a wide ball and getting a healthy edge to Kohli at first slip. Shaun Marsh's (2) stay would not last long either, with the DRS proving he had edged to Cheteshwar Pujara via Ravi Ashwin and his pad.
The loss of three wickets in the first session was a blow for Australia on a pitch that played far more docile than expected, but the flow was stemmed after tea.
Peter Handscomb looked confident before being trapped by a brilliant Yadav yorker on 19, bringing Maxwell to the crease to join his captain.
The pair negotiated their way to tea with a combination of solid defence and smart running, Maxwell putting his natural game on the backburner as the critical partnership built.
The momentum continued after the tea break, with Maxwell sensibly upping the tempo and nearly catching up to his watchful captain, who spent the best part of an hour in the 90s.
His celebration was pointed, and deliberate in its direction to the away dressing room, but his greatest statement was with the bat.
India was left to rue a missed chance after having Australia on the ropes early, on a day where sloppy fielding let the pressure off Australia all too often.
Topics: cricket, sport, india, australia
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