Watch: Steve Smith lists his top 10 Test centuries as he nears 10,000 runs milestone

Australia’s talismanic batter Steve Smith is on the cusp of scripting history in the ongoing fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He would have achieved this landmark on Day 2 had Prasidh Krishna not removed him.

Steve Smith was dismissed just five runs short of his 10,000th run by Prasidh Krishna on Day 2 of the ongoing New Year’s Test in Sydney. Smith had initially handled Krishna well, hitting a big pull shot for six and a square drive for four.

Steve Smith falls short of 10,000 Test runs but achieves 5,000-run milestone at home

But then Krishna delivered a magical ball to give India a crucial breakthrough by dismissing the Australian batting maestro for 33 runs off 57 balls at the SCG. However, the former Australian skipper might have missed the 10,000 Test runs milestone for some hours, but he managed to add yet another feather to his already illustrious record table.

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Actually, Smith surpassed 5,000 Test runs in Australia on Day 2 of the fifth Test against India at the SCG. With 5,011 runs in 58 home Tests at an average of 60.37 to his name, the right-handed batter becomes the sixth Australian to reach the 5,000 Test runs milestone at home.

Smith has also scored 18 centuries and 19 fifties in Australia, joining legends like Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and David Warner in the 5,000-run club. Notably, Smith is the only one with an average of over 60.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith is set to become the 15th player in Test history to score 10,000 or more runs in the format if he manages to go past five runs in the ongoing SCG Test against India. He will also become the only fourth Australian to do so after Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and Waugh.

Steve Smith ranks his Top-10 centuries and picks a favourite in Test cricket

Meanwhile, Steve Smith has opened up about his top 10 best innings and picked his favorite Test century from those innings as he approaches the historic milestone in the ongoing SCG Test.

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Well, Smith picked his maiden Test century that came during the fifth match of the 2013 Ashes series when he scored 138 not out against England as his 10th favorite hundred. His number 9 was 215 at Lords, as Smith said: “I remember actually not sleeping the night before that one, literally not a wink. Went out to play and felt good from the outset.”

The former Australian skipper has picked his recent Gabba Test hundred against India as his number 8 to knock, followed by 111 at the WACA against England in 2013, and his flawless 121 at the World Test Championship Final against India in 2023 at numbers seven and six.

Steve Smith loves dominating England in Tests

Smith has picked his remarkable innings of 211 at Old Trafford back in 2019 as his number five best innings of his Test career, saying, “It was just a good, solid innings.” The modern Australian great then picked 109 against India at Pune, the fourth spot, followed by 141* against England at The Gabba back in 2017 as his third-best Test knock so far.

The batting maestro stated, “The ball was ragging everywhere. It was the first Test match of the summer. We were in a little bit of strife early from memory to play the way I did. Being not out at the end of it, there was a good innings.” Well, Smith’s second-best Test ton was against South Africa in Centurion back in 2014, when he scored 100 against a good-quality attack.

Finally, Smith picked his 144-run knock against England at Edgbaston back in 2019 as his favorite Test innings so far. He signed off by saying, “Yeah, obviously I'd been out for a year. To help the team in that first innings of the Ashes Series was huge in England."

What's your favourite Steve Smith Test century?

Smudge ranks his top 10 as he approaches the 10,000 Test runs milestone 💯#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zCvY0E9FfD

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