Virat Kohli may have hogged the limelight at the start of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for all the wrong reasons but he began Day 2 on a good note. A day after being heavily criticised by fans and former cricketers for his shoulder barge to 19-year-old Australian debutant Sam Konstas, Kohli showed a brilliant gesture for Australia’s star batter, Steve Smith, on Friday. When Smith drove Nitish Kumar Reddy through the covers for a boundary to get to his 34th Test century, Kohli immediately started applauding. The former India captain patiently waited for Smith to soak in the adulation from the big crowd. Then, he slowly moved towards him and patted him on his back.
Kohli and Smith go back a long way. The duo started their careers at the U19 level in the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008, and since then, their bond has only grown stronger and stronger. Kohli’s gesture for Smith in the 2019 ODI World Cup, asking the crowd not to boo the Australian batter, earned the ICC Fair Play award that year. Smith, on the other hand, has always rated Kohli as one of the greatest all-format platters to have ever played the game.
Steve Smith Test hundred, number 34!
He brings it up in style too 🙌#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/jRjwC6bdIZ
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 27, 2024
Steve Smith puts Australia on top
Kohli, who received a 20% fine and a demerit point for breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct, was not the only one congratulating Smith, who equalled Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene with his 34th Test ton. KL Rahul was also seen applauding the innings.
Smith also went past Virat Kohli to become the batter with most centuries in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This was Kohli’s 11th Test century against India, also the most by any batter.
The former Australia captain, who announced a return to form with a century in the third Test Brisbane, continued his love affair with the MCG, scoring is fifth Test century at the venue.
Smith was unfortunate to be dismissed for 140 when he charged down the track and inside-edged the ball onto his pads, and the ball somehow found its way back to the stumps. But his knock had ensured Australia reached a commanding first total of 474 after opting to bat first in the all-important fourth Test of this series.
In reply, India lost captain Rohit Sharma early and Pat Cummins produced a jaffer to clean bowled KL Rahul right at the stroke of Tea to put the tourists under real pressure.
