Kerry O'Keeffe Compares Steve Smith to Nadal: 'MCG Is His Roland Garros'

8 days ago | 5 Views

Steve Smith has been on fire during the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and he made a statement in Melbourne by scoring his 34th Test century on Friday. He smashed 140 runs off 197 balls, hitting 13 fours and three sixes, with a strike rate of 71.07, putting his critics to rest.

Before the series against India, fans were questioning his spot in the Australian lineup after he started with scores of 0, 17, and 2. But then he turned it around in Brisbane with a solid 101. Now, he’s in the company of some of the greatest Test batsmen, trailing only behind Sachin Tendulkar (51 tons), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38), Joe Root (36*), and Rahul Dravid (36*). He’s now tied with legends like Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene.

Kerry O'Keeffe draws a parallel with Rafael Nadal

Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Australian cricketer, praised Smith's performance on Fox Cricket as he approached his century, saying, “One of his go-to shots is driving the ball back past the bowler, and yesterday he nailed that four or five times. You can tell Steve Smith is in the zone when that happens.”

Smith's innings ended shortly after lunch when he inside edged the ball onto his pad, leading to his bails being knocked off. O’Keeffe compared Smith to a tennis great, stating, “The MCG is to Steve Smith what Roland Garros is to Rafael Nadal.”

“This is his playground. He’s got four Test centuries here, and his average is in the 80s at the G,” he added.

On Day 1, debutant Sam Konstas set a solid foundation for the Aussies with a quick 60 off 65 balls. Usman Khawaja (57) and Marnus Labuschagne (72) also contributed with half-centuries, helping Australia to a total of 474 in 122.4 overs by Day 2.

On the other hand, the Indian batting lineup faltered after a decent start. Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Virat Kohli (36) fell in consecutive deliveries, just when it seemed they were stabilizing after the early wickets of Rohit Sharma (3) and KL Rahul (24). The visitors ended the day at 164/5, trailing by 310 runs.

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!