Steven Smith (133) became the ninth Australian to score a century on captaincy debut as Australia wriggled out from a precarious 247 for 6 to post a mammoth 505 in their first innings in the second Test against India at the Gabba on Friday.
He was well-supported by Mitchell Johnson (88) and Mitchell Starc (52) who made valuable contributions down the order, as the hosts took a first innings lead of 97 runs.
India ended the third day on 71 for 1 in the second innings.
Statistical highlights from the day’s play.
Josh Hazlewood's superb unbeaten 32 off 50 balls is the highest score by an Australia number 11 batsman against India in Tests.
# Mitchell Starc (52 off 59 balls) posted his fourth fifty in Tests -- his second against India.
# Starc's highest knock in Tests is his 99, against India at Mohali in March 2013.
# Starc is the first number nine Australian player to register a half-century versus India at Brisbane. Damien Fleming's unbeaten 71 vs England in November 1998 is the highest by an Australian number nine batsman at this venue.
# Australia (505) posted their first total of 500 or more against India at Brisbane, bettering the 382 for eight wickets declared in 1947-48.
# Murali Vijay has totalled 324 runs (ave.81.00) – the most by an Indian batsman in the series, behind the 347 (ave.347.00) by Australia’s Steven Smith.
# Smith's sixth Test century (133 off 191 balls) is his second against India. He recorded a career-best 162 not out in the Adelaide Test.
# He is the second Australian captain to post a Test century against India at Brisbane. Don Bradman had recorded 185 in November 1947.
Smith has become the fifth Australian player to record a century in his maiden Test innings as skipper, joining Clem Hill, Monty Noble, Lindsay Hassett and Greg Chappell.
# He has posted centuries in consecutive Tests for the first time. He had scored 115 vs England at Sydney this year, followed by 100 vs South Africa at Centurion.
# Starc and Hazlewood put on 51 -- Australia's highest for the 10th wicket vs India at Brisbane, outstripping the 50 between Alan Hurst and Jeff Thomson in December 1977.
# The 148-run stand between Mitchell Johnson and Smith is Australia's highest seventh-wicket partnership at Brisbane.
# Johnson's second half-century against India is his 10th in Tests. His magnificent 88 off 93 balls is his highest score against India.
# The innings is Johnson’s fourth highest in Tests -- his career-best being 123 not out vs South Africa at Cape Town in 2008-09.
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