Wayward bowling lets Rohit & Co. down as a blazing ton from Travis Head helps Australia recover from 76-3 to position of strength on Day 1 of the WTC Final; Smith too on cusp of another century
Mohammed Shami had just produced one of those deliveries that he does when he's in rhythm. A rare full ball, his first after lunch, which seamed in after pitching, crashed into Marnus Labuschagne's off-stump, dismissing him for an ungainly 26. Australia were then 76/3 on Day 1 of the World Test Championship final at the Oval with Steve Smith only on four.
1/10:WTC Final: Head, Smith put Australia on top against India on Day 1
AP
2/10:Travis Head
<p>Travis Head's dashing century was the centrepiece of an Australia fightback against India on the opening day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval on Wednesday. </p>Getty Images
3/10:Steve Smith
<p>Australia were in a commanding position on 327/3 at stumps after losing the toss, with Head 146 not out and Steve Smith 95 not out. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>India started strongly when Mohammed Siraj removed Usman Khawaja for a duck with an excellent wobble-seam delivery and Australia were 2/1. </p>Getty Images
5/10:David Warner
<p>David Warner's promising innings ended on 43 when a gloved pull off Shardul Thakur was well caught down the legside by diving wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.</p>Getty Images
6/10:Marnus Labuschagne
<p>Marnus Labuschagne fell early in the second session for his lunch score of 26 when he was bowled between bat and pad by a Mohammed Shami inswinger.</p>Getty Images
7/10:The rescue act
<p>Head and Smith then came together with Australia in trouble at 76/3 in bowler-friendly conditions, but as the sun burst through the clouds, the runs started to flow.</p>Getty Images
8/10:The counter-attack
<p>Head was troubled by Ravindra Jadeja but by counter-attacking from the start of his innings -- 24 of his first 27 runs came in boundaries -- he put the pressure back on the bowlers.</p>Getty Images
9/10:Smith at The Oval
<p>With Smith, who before this match averaged nearly 98 in Tests at The Oval, batting in more conventional fashion it gave Head freedom to keep playing his shots. </p>Getty Images
10/10:The short ball
<p>By the time India tested Head with the short ball, he was well set and a pulled single off Mohammed Shami took him to a sixth Test hundred in just 106 balls, including 14 fours and a six. </p>Getty ImagesIt was game on after India had won the toss under a leaden sky that changed hue to blue on a glorious sun-kissed afternoon and evening and elected to bowl on a wicket that had a generous tinge of green. Then, curiously, skipper Rohit Sharma kept a sweeper on the off-side, allowing Travis Head, who has the highest strike rate for batsmen with more than 500-plus runs in the current WTC cycle of nearly 82, the comfort of settling down.
Head accepted the gift and once set, went about carving up a weary and dispirited Indian attack, using his fast hands to stroke the ball through mid-wicket and squarish cover and point for boundaries and take the game away. He was also generously fed with short, wide balls in the third session to essay the ramp shot for boundaries.
It was at the Oval in 2019 that Head's career appeared to be at the crossroads after he was dropped by Tim Paine and Justin Langer for the final Test of the Ashes despite having a decent series. Back at the same venue, he showed how integral to the line-up he has become. He is Australia's version of 'Bazball', a theme that will play out in the upcoming Ashes.
Head struck a savage 146* (156 balls, 22x4, 1x6), his sixth ton, his first versus India and first away from Australia. His partner in crime during the unbeaten 251-run fourth-wicket stand was India's nemesis, Steve Smith (batting on 95; 227b, 14x4). An aggregate of 1887 runs before this WTC final in 18 Tests with eight centuries at an average of over 65 against India is reason enough to fear him. At the Oval, his previous outings have fetched him scores of 138 and 7, 143, 80 and 7. The Aussies were in pole position at stumps at 327/3. The new ball taken towards the end of Day One only added to the run flow.
India will do well to introspect how they bowled. Head gets inconvenienced by the short ball. However, the first one around his throat came only when he was well past 30. As well as Shami and new ball partner Mohammed Siraj bowled in the first session, they allowed the Aussie batters the security of staying on the back foot. Siraj provided the early cheer though by getting Usman Khawaja caught behind for a duck. When he hit Labuschagne on his glove, it showed how tough batting could be if the bowlers consistently bowled in the right area. Umesh Yadav didn't. He bowled on both sides of the pitch, providing the release ball that allowed the pressure to evaporate.
Shardul Thakur, picked as the fourth seamer ahead of off-spinner R Ashwin, did an honest holding job prior to lunch, inducing a plethora of false shots. He struck Labuschagne on the pads as the batter survived a couple of close LBW referrals. His reward, though, came in the form of the scalp of David Warner, who gloved a pull to KS Bharat.
