Boxing Day Test: Australian veteran Steve Smith comes to life with ...

Australian veteran Steve Smith has come to life in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, surviving a probing exam from Jasprit Bumrah to score back-to-back centuries.

Smith passed 100 on the second morning of the match after he arrived at the crease late in the middle session on Thursday.

He reached the milestone, which comes after he scored a breakthrough ton during the third Test in Brisbane, off 167 balls and celebrated with a defiant nod towards his teammates.

He was also tapped on the back by legendary compatriot Virat Kohli in what could be their final series against each other.

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Captain Pat Cummins made 49 at the other end, but was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja after nailing down Australia’s advantage and pushing the score out to 7-454.

Australia piled on 143 for the loss of just one wicket in an embarrassing session for India.

Smith won a heavyweight battle with Bumrah and the second new ball on Friday morning. The Indian destroyer had him playing and missing three times in one over, including a big shout for caught-behind, but Smith lived to see the end of his first spell of the day.

In one final blow, he lifted a Bumrah bouncer over fine leg for six.

“It’s been good. I had to work really hard yesterday on the back of some really good work from some of the guys,” Smith told Channel 7.

“It was a nice partnership with Cummo, he showed some really good intent, unfortunately he missed out on his 50, but we are in a really nice spot.

“It’s been good fun, the wicket has probably done less than most of the other wickets, so if you get yourself in you can sort of cash in.”

All the intricacies and oddities of Smith were in full flight. He told Bumrah “good ball” after one delivery beat his outside edge, he shuffled around the crease and unfurled into extravagant leaves with his bat pointed back down the wicket.

The two-match stretch is a major breakthrough for Smith, who had come under fire early in the series as Australia’s top four battled to handle Bumrah.

His 34th Test ton draws him level with Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene and Younis Khan. It is also his 11th against India.

He is now the second-leading run-scorer in the series, behind only teammate Travis Head, who made a first-innings duck.

Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and debutant teenager Sam Konstas all made half-centuries. It was the first time three Australians had reached that mark since a Test against Pakistan on a road in Rawalpindi in 2022.

There is no doubt Australia’s veterans were towed along by the extraordinary efforts of Konstas at the top of the order on Thursday.

Labuschagne came to the crease at 1-89 after routinely facing a fresh ball and Bumrah with his tail up and Smith came in when Khawaja was dismissed at 2-154.