Aussie tail has swagger back

2102 – Number of runs Steve Smith has scored in his Test career. During course of his 192 against India on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Smith became the 53rd Australian Test player to 2000 runs. Of these 53 players, he is eighth youngest to the milestone and youngest since Ricky Ponting (24y and 359d) achieved it in 1999.

Image Id: ~/media/A8653F862C994CF0A678001548E3F57F

5 – Number of captains who have scored centuries in each of their first two Tests. Steve Smith joins Jackie McGlew, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Alastair Cook. Incredibly, Cook went on to score 100 in each of his first five Tests as captain.

104.00 – Steven Smith’s batting average in Tests against India. He has amassed 728 runs in five Tests with three centuries.

Image Id: ~/media/02C26A84598345C3BA7FA6A52BC17F90

2 – Number of batsmen who have been dismissed in the 190s at the MCG. Smith became first Australian and second overall to this unwanted record, after Virender Sehwag fell five runs short of his double-ton in 2003. Smith also fell eight runs short of becoming youngest Australian captain to score double-century in Tests. The record still belongs to Don Bradman (28 years and 131 days).

6 – Number of fifties Australia’s tail has scored against India in last five Tests. Mitchell Starc scored 99 at Mohali which was followed by twin half-centuries by Peter Siddle at Delhi when Australia toured India in 2013. In the current series, Mitchell Johnson scored 88 and Starc 52 in the previous Test at Brisbane. Ryan Harris frustrated Indians with 74 on day two, the third fifty, and highest score, of his Test career.

60.87 – Australia’s winning percentage after scoring 500 or more in first innings of a Test. Only thrice have they lost after compiling such a mammoth total, most recently against India at Adelaide in 2003.

Image Id: ~/media/D44BF5C47048433CB8C5720BC2A2B808

3 – Number of fifty-plus opening partnerships for India in their last 20 overseas Tests. Two of them have come in this series – 55 on day two between Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay and 56 between same pair in the previous Test in Brisbane. The third one was in 2011 against England at Lord’s.

70.53 – Murali Vijay’s average against Australia in Tests, a far cry from his career average (40.86). He has 2084 runs in 30 Tests, 1058 of which have come against Australia alone, including four centuries.

11 – Number of years since more than 350 runs were scored in a day’s play at the MCG. Australia (271) and India (108) combined scored 379 today. Last time it happened was also between these two teams and also on second day - India scored 37 and Australia 317 in 2003.