Australia's skipper has laid down a marker with his second Test century in Asia that has fired his team into a strong position in Pune
Smith leads from front with epic Indian ton
Australia captain Steve Smith has scored perhaps the gutsiest, most important century of his Test career to date to put his team in pole position to claim the first Border-Gavaskar Test against India in Pune.
Smith posted his first century on Indian soil in the morning session of day three on a pitch that is so alien to his home conditions that Shane Warne described it as 'Martian'.
The 187-ball knock helped drive Australia's lead towards 400 and with it boosting the chances of the tourists securing their first win in India since 2004.
As balls spun prodigiously past the outside edge of his bat, Smith remained unfazed, unflustered and ultimately unflappable.
While he hit 11 fours on his way to triple figures, more impressive were the 46 singles the unorthodox right-hander milked to rotate the strike and disrupt India's spin-heavy attack.
It was, as expected, a trial by spin with Smith facing 159 balls of slow bowling compared to just 28 of pace in an innings where the first 27 overs were shared by the dual spin threat of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the world's top-two Test bowlers.
Smith's century is the first by an Australian in India since the 130 four years ago by former captain Michael Clarke, who watched the current skipper's hundred from the commentary box of the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Smith's stoic innings was not without his fair share of luck.
On his way to his 18th Test century, Smith was dropped on four occasions and survived an lbw appeal that would have been overturned had India not burnt their reviews earlier in the innings.
Smith was put down on 23, 29 and 37 on day two and then again on 67 in the seventh over of day three much to the frustration of rival skipper Virat Kohli, who had been snapped up for a second-ball duck on Friday.
Not to be overlooked is Smith's contribution in four key partnerships.
He combined for 38 with Peter Handscomb when Australia were in danger at 2-23, added 52 with an ill Matthew Renshaw, struck 52 in concert with Mitchell Marsh and put on 35 with Matthew Wade.
In each of those partnerships Smith was the lesser contributor, providing a necessary constant throughout an innings that could, at any stage, crumble like the pitch the two teams are competing on.
His innings ended on 109, out lbw to Jadeja, but by then the damage had well and truly been done.