Smith’s last century came back in June 2023 at Lord’s against England. Since then, in a span of 18 months, Steven Smith went through 24 innings without reaching the three-figure mark—until today, in Brisbane, against India.
Breaking his long drought, Smith scored a gritty 101 off 190 balls with 12 fours in this innings. With his 33rd Test century, Smith has now surpassed Steve Waugh (32 centuries) on the all-time Australian list. The only Australian ahead of him now is Ricky Ponting, who has 41 Test centuries to his name.
This century also brought another record for Smith. It was his 10th Test century against India and 15th across all formats. Of his 15 centuries against India, the other five came in ODIs. With this, Smith now holds the record for the most centuries across formats against India.
Previously, the record was held by Ricky Ponting. The former Australian captain scored 14 centuries against India during his illustrious career—8 in Tests and 6 in ODIs.
Joe Root of England is another player who has been prolific against India, with 13 centuries across formats. Among active players, Root is the only one who has a realistic chance of surpassing Smith’s record in the future.
As for the record for the most centuries against a single opposition, it unsurprisingly belongs to Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian legend scored 20 of his 100 international centuries against Australia—11 in Tests and 9 in ODIs.
The second on this list is the great Sir Donald Bradman. The iconic Australian batsman, who only played Tests in his era, scored 19 of his 29 centuries against England.
Aside from Australia, Tendulkar’s other favorite opponent was Sri Lanka. He scored 17 international centuries against the island nation—9 in Tests and 8 in ODIs. Similarly, Tendulkar’s successor, Virat Kohli, has enjoyed remarkable success against Australia and Sri Lanka, scoring 17 centuries against Australia and 15 against Sri Lanka.
