Steven Smith: The transition from ordinary to immortal

On 13 July 2010, Australia was facing Pakistan at the iconic Lord's cricket ground in the first Test of the series. Steve Smith was making his debut as a leg-spinner and a batsman who could bat a bit. The youngster was thought to be the disciple of Australia's leading Test wicket-taker Shane Warne.

Five years later, he became Australia's captain and by then, he was already the No.1 Test batsman in the world.

After his first stint as a spinner, Smith decided to stay away from Test cricket and returned two years later as a wonderful top-order batsman who would occasionally bowl leg spin.

His return to Test cricket was a blessing in disguise for Australia.

An injury to Michael Clarke during 2013 Ashes brought him to the side, owing to his sensational form in domestic cricket.

Smith scored his maiden Test hundred in testing conditions at The Oval, his composure was evident after he a hit a six straight over the bowler's head to get to the landmark.

He stamped his dominance in Test cricket thereafter by scoring couple hundreds against England in the next Ashes played in Australia in 2013/14.

Smith continued on his merry way by scoring four centuries in the home series against India. The stylish batsman was named Australia's Test captain in that series as his cricketing mind and ability to read the game made him a favourite for the captaincy task.

Every cricketer dreams to be his country's Test captain one day or the other. Steve Smith cherished the moment like any cricketer would do. He has a bowling machine set up in his backyard and he tells his wife to throw balls at him. His hard work has finally paid off, he knocks over a hundred deliveries every day. It shows the passion that the Australian captain has for cricket, he strives to become better with every opportunity he gets.

The Australian skipper is quick-footed and adept at facing spin, but is equally comfortable driving and pulling the fast bowlers. He started the year with his heroics in India and ended it with stupendous knocks in Australia against England.

Steven Smith was named the Test cricketer of the year for the year 2017. He featured in 11 tests scoring 1305 runs at a breathtaking average of 76.76. This is the second instance where the Aussie skipper has managed to win the award of the test cricketer of the year.

Earlier, he won the award in 2015 when he scored 1474 runs at an average of 73.70. Smith reached quite a few landmarks in 2017, he became the joint second fastest batsman to score 6000 test runs after Sir Donald Bradman."It's called Test cricket for a reason, and I've enjoyed that test of my ability over the past 12 months," Smith said. "I was pleased with the way I played but what pleased me most of all was that I helped us win Tests and, most importantly, the Ashes."

Smith has been named in the ICC men's Test team alongside teammates David Warner and Mitchell Starc. The skipper would look to continue his sensational run in the upcoming year.