Travis Head was once again at his destructive best as he blitzed past the Indian bowling department on Day 2 of the ongoing third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match at the Gabba, in Brisbane on Sunday. The Aussies cruised to 405/7 in 101 overs at Stumps, as Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) remained unbeaten.
Head, in particular, carried on his form from the Adelaide Test, and made it back-to-back tons. He hammered 152 off 160 balls, packed with 18 fours, and was utterly dominant. Head’s 241-run partnership with Steve Smith was monumental for the fourth wicket. Speaking after the match, Head revealed his tactics against in-form pacer Jasprit Bumrah. He pointed out that reacting to Bumrah’s delivery in the right manner is key, and he felt that being ‘proactive with his forward defense’ was important.
Travis Head on how to face Jasprit Bumrah
“He (Jasprit Bumrah) goes for the base of the stumps early. But I think it’s about reacting. He has a good bouncer. He’s got brilliant wicket-taking balls, for me it is about being positive against him. Doesn’t mean that I need to score runs against him, but more about being proactive with my forward defense,” he said.
It was Bumrah, who came to India’s rescue to break the partnership, dismissing both Head and Smith in quick succession. Bumrah bagged another five-wicket haul, scalping the wickets of Usman Khawaja (21), Nathan McSweeney (9), Smith (101), Head (152) and Mitchell Marsh (5). Smith also got a ton, smacking 101 off 190 balls, including 12 fours.
In the second Test in Adelaide, Head came to Australia’s rescue with a sensational century, registering 140 off 141 balls. His knock was key as Australia levelled the series at 1-1.
Speaking on his side’s chances for the WTC Final, he said, “The top-6 (batting) is setting up nicely, hopeful of doing well in Sri Lanka and getting into the WTC final. Very pleased for Smudge, he has had a lot against him and it’s nice to see him get back to his best form.”