'Red, white, and pink ball. India dominance completed': Travis Head rocks cradle celebration with stunning century

Travis Head celebrated his century vs India in Adelaide with a tribute to his new-born baby Harrison.

Travis Head marked his hometown Test at the Adelaide Oval in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a memorable century, putting Australia firmly in the driver’s seat as his aggressive innings gave Indian fans flashbacks to 2023 and piled on the misery.

Travis Head with a rock-the-baby celebration after his century vs India at the Adelaide Oval.(AFP)

The South Australian batter looked at ease in his home stadium after a typically tetchy start, getting into his work and attacking all of India’s bowlers. Taking a single off Ravichandran Ashwin to reach his century, Head celebrated with a cradling-the-baby celebration using his bat, having recently welcomed a second child into his family with wife Jessica. Head’s family were present at the Oval, and Head gestured at them before his trademark century celebration with his helmet on the bat handle and arms aloft.

Indian fans have gotten used to seeing Travis Head reserve his best for big matches against them. Following his century in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023, Head continues to make hay against Indian bowling, scoring bulk runs and doing so at pace. Rapidly taking this second day-night Test match away from India, fans were quick to react.

Siraj gives Head a send-off

After a circumspect start where he played and missed at a few deliveries at the beginning of his innings, Head began flaying deliveries outside his off-stump, particularly laying into Harshit Rana in only the youngster’s second international match. He also hit Ashwin for a couple of sixes, quickly sprinting past 50 and increasing the lead almost singlehandedly as he received very little support from other batters in the lineup.

Head reached his century after just 111 deliveries, and then added on 40 quick runs around the time the second new ball was taken. He played some incredible shots on either side of the wicket as well as straight down the ground, also riding his luck a little bit as some flashes outside off stump flew over or through the slip cordon.

He was ultimately dismissed by Mohammed Siraj on 140 by an excellent yorker, with the pacer having dropped him earlier in the innings on a tough chance. Siraj had a confrontation with Head as well, giving the hometown hero a send-off and hearing the Adelaide Oval’s thoughts on the matter with some booing right after.