Shaun Marsh is, rightfully, getting a lot of plaudits for the first day of the test at Centurian. However it is Smith's performance that is really pleasing. For the third time in four tests Smith has put together a good first innings score, each time having come in with Australia in a bit of trouble. If he can get another nine runs today, it would be his third century in those four matches. In fact Smith has had a great year this year. To add to the two hundreds in the recent Ashes and the 91* here, he has a 92 in Mohali, an 86 at Manchester and 138* at the Oval. Interestingly, all of these were in the Aussies' first innings, as was his 53 at Nottingham. His hundred at the Oval (his first) means that he is in a good position to record his fourth hundred in seven matches. In fact in the last year since his return to test cricket, he has scored 924 at 44. Only Clarke has more runs in that time, and no one has a better average. Smith scored 810 (at 73.63) in the Aussies first innings during these tests. All in all, not a bad effort for a player who many thought was lucky to get picked to tour India (though he was seen as a player who could use his feet to the spinners).
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