3rd Test: Smith, Maxwell lead Australia’s dominance

Visitors end day one on 299-4 against India

RANCHI: Australian skipper Steve Smith silenced his critics with a gritty century on Thursday's opening day of the third Test against India, before declaring he had moved on from his war of words with Virat Kohli.

The visitors were 299 for four at stumps after electing to bat first in their 800th Test at a venue which is hosting its first-ever five-day international, with Smith unbeaten on 117 and Glenn Maxwell on 82.

Smith, at the centre of a major row after being accused by Kohli of systematically abusing the decision review system (DRS) in the last Test in Bangalore, put on 159 runs with Maxwell to lift Australia from 140-4.

The 27-year-old Smith brought up his 19th Test century with a boundary off Murali Vijay, raising his bat to acknowledge the generous applause of the home crowd.

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"You cannot control the past. I came out and said I made a mistake and moved on from there," said Smith, who had admitted to a "brain fade" in Bangalore after looking up for guidance while mulling a review for lbw. "And 4 for 300, we will take that, but tomorrow is going to be a crucial day for us.”

Smith, who crossed the 5,000-run mark in his 52nd Test, became the first Australian captain to score two hundreds in a series in India. He hit 109 in the opener in Pune.

At the other end Maxwell, who was drafted into the XI in place of injured Mitchell Marsh, changed gears after reaching his fifty with a six off Ravindra Jadeja.

Maxwell, playing his fourth Test, smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes as he took the attack to the opposition in the final session of play.

The stand between Smith and Maxwell is Australia's best for the fifth wicket in India, surpassing the 145-run partnership between Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade during the second Test of the 2013 series.

"Maxi played beautifully. Stuck to his plans and struck the bad balls. It is a good pitch so we will need all the runs we can get," said Smith of India's newest Test venue.

Kohli to undergo scans on injured shoulder

Skipper Kohli will undergo scans on his injured shoulder after leaving the field in the afternoon session of the opening day's play. "The exact status of Virat's injury will be known by tomorrow morning. He is going to undergo scans later today," India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar told reporters in Ranchi.

Kohli hurt his right shoulder while fielding and went off the field in the 40th over, leaving vice-captain Rahane to lead the side for the rest of the day.

Kohli fell awkwardly while trying to cut off a boundary at long-on and instantly walked away while clutching his shoulder. He was seen putting on ice packs in the dressing room. "We took a precaution [in taking him off the field] to make sure that he doesn't aggravate the injury," Sridhar said.