Cricket is a game of uncertainties. No one can be sure about result of a match, or an individual until the last moment. There have been cases where exceptional batters in domestic circuit transform themselves into world class bowlers, like Ravichandran Ashwin. And there have been cases of players making their debut as bowlers, eventually transforming as batters. The most prominent and successful example of the later is Steve Smith.

Smudge, who plays his 100th test match today is regarded as the best batter in tests in the current generation. There is hardly anyone who can come near to what he has done in the longest format of the game. And he continues to do that even today. What makes his journey even more astonishing is the fact that he was never a mainstream batter, and that he made his debut for Australia as a leg spinner.

After Shane Warne's retirement, Australia were looking for his replacement. And while doing so they tried a few options. And Steve Smith was one of them. Infact he was the second highest wicket taker in the 2010 T20 world cup with 11 wickets to his name. He was always looked up to as a leg spinner who can be handy with the bat while batting at number 8.

But fate has better plans for him. When he showed some glimpses of what he can do with the bat, he was given a well deserved promotion to bat in middle order. His 92 against India in the same match where Shikhar Dhawan made his dream test debut ,was first of his amazing knocks. And since then he consistently performed in the middle order. It was only after he was announced as captain, that he promoted himself in the top order. And with every passing match he became better and better.

And he never looked back since then. He has been the backbone of Australian lineup. The Australian test batting revolves around him and rightly so. He comes to the rescue of his team at the right times. He has shown it across formats. Most of his best knocks have come in knockouts of ICC tournaments, or in important test matches. He never succumbs to the pressure. He deals with it and puts it back on the opposition.

His innings are as smooth as his transition from a leg spinner to a world class batter. It won't be a surprise today to see him in the list of greatest batters, but if someone goes back to the 2010, he will definitely be surprised of what Smudge has achieved. There are high chances that a little Steve Smith might be as well surprised to see what he had done today.

It's his grit, determination and hard work which has helped the journey of a leg spinner turn into a fine batter. Also it's his mentality of adapting quickly and responding to the situation according to what his team needs. Which is why, when one looks at Steve, he doesn't have the best technique. His batting doesn't look eye pleasing, but his stats surely do. His lack of technique and lack of eye pleasing batting hasn't stopped him from scoring big on numerous occasions. And all the credit goes to him.

His story is one of it's kind. Coming as a leg spinner and being proudly the best batter out there in this generation. There can only be one Shane Warne, there can only be one Sir Don Bradman. And similarly, there can be only one Steve Smith , who came as a replacement of Shane Warne, and is trying to follow the footsteps of the great Sir Donald Bradman. On the occasion of him playing his 100th test match, we wish him many more milestones in his career. We congratulate him for what he has done , and wish to see him make this century a big one, like all those 32 he has scored.