Steve Smith moved past Brian Lara, Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar and Mahela Jayawardene. But not for his 10,000 run milestone
When Steve Smith pushed Nishan Peiris through the covers for three, he put himself in a list that only includes himself.
Stranded on 9,999 runs at SCG was the headline after the fifth India match but he was also sitting on 34 Test hundreds. By moving to 35, he sits by himself and moves past four legends of the game; Younis Khan, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and Mahela Jayawardene.
The stand-in Australian skipper was cool in his celebration on Wednesday, taking off his baggy green and waving the New Balance blade towards his teammates. There was then a big breath amid the conditions in Galle.
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Such is the esteem Smith is held in by his teammates, not a single person in the Australian viewing room was sitting, they were all standing and applauding.
Steve Smith celebrates his century in Galle. Getty
"It's been effortless," cricket icon Ricky Ponting said.
It was a day that belonged to the 35-year-old batting master.
One sign in the stands captured the love Australians have for watching Smith score runs: '8358km, Australia to Sri Lanka to see one run. Cheers, Steve'.
Australian fans in the stands at Galle. Getty images
On a pitch that was more like a highway at Galle, there was never any doubt, although it could've easily crumbled at one when he was dropped.
But, nonetheless, the career of Smith entered another chapter.
The redemption arc since the sandpaper era has been written over and over and now there is simply appreciation for just how good he is.
To surpass those four aforementioned greats is an incredible task.
Now Smith has six names in front of him. And just remember this - Smith reached his 35th century in just 205 innings.
Rahul Dravid and Joe Root* are on 36. Kumar Sangakkara finished his career with 38. Ricky Ponting had 41 centuries, Jacques Kallis 45 and Sachin Tendulkar 51.
Out of those players, Sangakkara finished his career with the closest amount of innings, 233, to Smith currently.
Jacques Kallis celebrates his 45th century in his last Test. Getty
Throw in Smith's one-year absence - due to the 2018 ball-tampering saga - at the peak of his powers and there's a good chance he should be edging towards 40.
But that's the hypothetical and the time to appreciate Smith is now.
The very real fear was that June 2023 hundred at Lord's was the last time we'd see the swashbuckling right-hander at his best.
But with tons against India and Sri Lanka since, the man who started as a Shane Warne replacement is back and he's done it his way.
