The China Mail - England's Smith stuns India with blistering century in second Test

England were in dire straits at 84-5 early in the third day of the second Test after Mohammed Siraj had taken two wickets in two balls, removing star batsman Joe Root and dismissing Ben Stokes for the first golden duck of the captain's Test career.

But at lunch they were 249-5, still 338 runs behind India's first-innings 567 built on captain Shubman Gill's superb 269.

Smith was 102 not out, the wicketkeeper's hundred having come off just 80 balls, including 14 fours and three sixes.

Harry Brook, no slouch himself, was 91 not out with the pair having added an unbroken 165 runs for the sixth-wicket in sensational style.

Smith's second hundred in his 12 Tests equalled Brook's 80-ball effort against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2022.

Only Gilbert Jessop, with a hundred off 76 balls against Australia at the Oval back in 1902 and Jonny Bairstow, with a 77-ball ton against New Zealand at Trent Bridge three years ago have scored faster Test centuries for England, in terms of balls faced.

England resumed on 77-3, with Root 18 not out and Brook 30 not out.

But, in the second over of the day, Root (22) -- the world's top-ranked Test batsman - glanced fast bowler Siraj down the legside by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

And the very next ball, Stokes was undone by a superb rising delivery from Siraj that he could only edge to Pant, with England now 84-5.

It was the first golden duck of all-rounder Stokes' 113-Test career.

But just as Akash Deep was denied a hat-trick late Thursday after dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks, so too was Siraj with new batsman Smith off-driving his first ball Friday for four.

India had rested Jasprit Bumrah, the world's number one ranked Test bowler from their side at Edgbaston, in order to protect the outstanding fast bowler's fitness in a series where he is expected to feature in just three out of five matches.

But the risk in that approach was evident when Smith -- with sunny blue skies and a largely placid pitch still in the batsman's favour -- smashed 22 runs in a Prasidh Krishna over that cost 23 in total thanks to a wide from the wayward paceman.

The 24-year-old Smith, showing no ill effects from the physical and mental strain of keeping wicket for 151 in India's first innings, welcomed the recalled Washington Sundar's arrival into the attack by cover-droving the spinner's first two balls for four.

Experienced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja also suffered the Smith treatment after the 24-year-old lofted him for six.

Consecutive fours off Jadeja in the last over before lunch, a straight drive followed by a sweep, saw Smith complete an astounding century with England scoring a remarkable 172-2 in the session's 27 overs.

F.Brown--ThChM