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.
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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.
{{/usCountry}}“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.
{{/usCountry}}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.”