Watch: Steve Smith Pulls Off 'Catch Of The Century', Rohit Sharma's Reaction Goes Viral

19.03.2023 - 14:01 sports.ndtv.com

Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith is well known for his fielding in the slip cauldron and he once again proved his mettle with a stunning catch during the second ODI encounter against India on Sunday.

Mitchell Starc ended up claiming five wickets to bundle out India for 117 but the talking point was the catch that ended the innings of Hardik Pandya.

Pandya ended up getting a thick edge on a delivery from Sean Abbott and it looked like the ball was too far from Smith at the slips.

However, the veteran Aussie cricketer pulled off a full length to his right and his superman effort left India skipper Rohit Sharma and other teammates completely stunned at the dressing room. #SteveSmith catch of century Smithy you beauty pic.twitter.com/LQkuNvNQJO The commentators were also left dumbfounded by the brilliance of Smith's fielding and ex-India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar even suggested that it can be considered for the “catch of the century".

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India skipper Rohit Sharma said on Wednesday said that managing the workload of key Indian players during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is up to the franchises. Indian team management has given the IPL teams "some borderline indications" about player workload management, as per the skipper, but he is doubtful if the franchises will follow it. IPL 2023 starts from March 31 onwards, less than 10 days after the conclusion of India's ODI series against Australia at home, which the latter has won by 2-1. The all-important ICC World Test Championship final starts from June 7 onwards, a little more than a week after the summit clash for the IPL trophy on May 28. The 50-over World Cup will also take place in India from October-November this year.

Watch: Kuldeep Yadav Stuns Alex Carey With Amazing Delivery. Steve Smith's Reaction Is Gold

The past few years have been tough for Kuldeep Yadav as the spinner has been in and out of the Indian cricket team. However, it left everyone stunned by a beauty of a delivery to dismiss Alex Carey during the third ODI encounter between India and Australia in Chennai on Wednesday. With the pitch providing assistance to spinners, Kuldeep pitched the ball on the leg stump and turned sharply to crash into Carey's off stump. The batsman was left completely bamboozled by the movement of the ball and even Australia skipper Steve Smith had to watch the replay to believe it.

Watch: Rohit Sharma's Reaction As Shubman Gill Drops Travis Head's Catch In 3rd ODI

Hardik Pandya haulted Australia's fine start in the third ODI with three crucial wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With the series tied at 1-1, Australia opted to bowl in the decider. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, who fired Australia to a 10-wicket win in the previous match, once again opened the innings for Australia. The pair added 68 runs for the opening wicket before Hardik provided India with a breakthrough, dismissing Head on 33. However, prior to his dismissal, Head received a huge reprieve as Shubman Gill dropped an easy catch off Hardik's delivery.

Watch: Steve Smith Yawns During 1st ODI vs India. Fans Find Similarity With Sarfaraz Ahmed

Australia skipper Steve Smith and his team did not have a good outing in the first ODI at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Friday as Team India defeated them by 5 wickets in a low-scoring thriller. India's stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first in the game that saw regular captain Rohit Sharma missing out due to family commitments. For Australia, Mitchell Starc shone with an 81-run knock off 65 balls, but other batters failed to replicate him as the guests were bundled out for 188 runs.

"Fortunate I Was Able To Hang On To It": Steve Smith On His Terrific Catch To Dismiss Hardik Pandya In 2nd ODI

After registering a thumping 10-wicket victory over India, captain Steve Smith lauded Australia's "outstanding" bowlers and said Mitchell Starc in particular with the new ball put Men in Blue under pressure. Starc's fifer followed by Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head's brutal hitting guided Australia to 10 wickets victory with 234 balls to spare against India in the second ODI of the three-match series at YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Starc returned with a figure of 5/53 in eight overs, his ninth ODI five-wicket haul, as India was bundled out for 117 runs in 26 overs.

Watch: Steve Smith Yawns During 1st ODI vs India. Fans Find Similarity With Sarfaraz Ahmed