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Smith sublime as Watson struggles

Steve Smith salutes the crowd after yet another century.

Steve Smith’s remarkable run continued in the fourth Test today when he scored his fourth century of the series to grind India into the SCG dust.

But Shane Watson was not able to become the third member of the Australian top order to reach three figures when he holed out for 81.

Smith fell soon afterwards for 117 before Australia dawdled to 4-420 at lunch, Shaun Marsh survived a chance to slip – the fourth catch put down by the butter-fingered Indians – to reach 14 while Joe Burns had not scored.

FOURTH TEST - LIVE SCORES

Smith produced a series of feats including becoming just the second batsman behind South Africa’s Jacques Kallis to score centuries in each match of a four-Test series while Mudassar Nazar, of Pakistan, was the only other batsman to score four first-innings tons in a series.

Smith’s departure, nicking Umesh Yadav behind from the 208th delivery he faced, meant the stand-in Australian captain had scored 698 runs in the series.

Don Bradman and Ricky Ponting are the only Australians to score 700 in a series against India.

Watson struggled to find his timing in the morning and he advanced by only 20 in nearly 90 minutes before finally playing a fluent stroke that picked out the man in the deep on the midwicket fence.

Umesh Yadav was the bowler and had one of his few successes on a tour that has seen him leak runs at nearly 4.5 an over.

Smith was content to build slowly during the morning with just 72 runs coming against the threadbare attack.