Travis Head and Steve Smith broke and set new records at The Oval during their mammoth partnership against India in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship Final in London. Head and Smith added 285 runs for the fourth wicket to put Australia in a commanding position in the summit clash.
The duo joined forces at 76 for 3 and took the total to 361 before the partnership was finally broken by Mohammed Siraj.
Travis Head hit his sixth Test hundred and first outside Australia on Day 1 of the WTC Final while Steve Smith brought up his 31st century in the longest format in the first over of Day 2.
Smith's century saw him equal former England captain Joe Root's record of 9 tons against India. He also went past Matthew Hayden to grab second position on the list of most Test hundreds for Australia, behind only Ricky Ponting's 41 tons.
Smith is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar on the list of most hundreds in India vs Australia Tests.
Smith's Love Affair With The Oval
Steve Smith also took his tally of runs at The Oval to 512, which is only behind the great Don Bradman's 553 runs. This was also his third hundred at this ground, which is the joint-second most for any visiting batter in England.
Smith's seventh hundred in England also saw him take joint-second position on the list of most Test tons in England by visiting batters. Bradman leads this list as well with 11.
Travis Head's Record-Breaking Spree
Travis Head was the actual catalyst behind Australia's fightback on the first day as he counter-attacked to catch India off-guard.
He also broke several records during his 174-ball 163 which included 25 fours and a six. His score is the second highest for Australia at a neutral venue behind Warren Bardsley's 164 against South Africa at Lord's in 1912.
Head & Smith's Record-Breaking Partnership
The 285-run partnership between Smith and Head is the fourth highest for Australia against India in Test cricket.
It's also the highest partnership for the fourth wicket at The Oval, surpassing the previous best stand of 266 between England's Wally Hammond and Stan Warthington against India in 1936.
