Adelaide, Dec 7: Travis Head smashed a brilliant 140 – his eighth hundred in the format – third on his home ground, as Australia swelled its lead to 152 runs after reaching 332/8 in 85 overs at tea on day two of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
It was a tremendous innings from Head, who mixed his usual free-flowing cuts and pulls with some sumptuous drives while hitting 17 fours and four sixes to Australia firmly in the box seat of the match via his third hundred in day-night Tests. With Australia having two wickets in hand, their innings might wrap up quickly before their bowlers have a go at Indian batters in the twilight session.
The second session began with Head and Mitchell Marsh taking a four each off Bumrah, before the latter tried to defend off a sliding off-break from Ravichandran Ashwin, but nicked it behind to Pant and walked off even before umpire Richard Illingworth raised his finger. Replays later showed a flat line on snicko, which meant Marsh had never nicked it in the first place.
After swivelling Bumrah for four, Head danced down the pitch to hammer over his head for six. He again tried to hit big off Ashwin over mid-on, but toe-ended it and Mohammed Siraj dropped a difficult catch.
Boundaries continued to flow for Head, as he hit four delightful boundaries off Harshit Rana, one of which flew between the keeper and a wide first slip. Head brought up his century in just 111 balls by taking a single to square leg, and celebrated it by pumping his fist and doing the rock-the-baby celebration, as well as holding the bat handle inside the helmet, with the sellout crowd making a tremendous roar in joy of the local boy making another memorable hundred at the venue.
Head continued to tear into Rana by lofting, driving and thumping him for three boundaries, before slashing Siraj for another four. Though Siraj had Alex Carey nick behind a drive to Pant for 15, Head continued to march forward by clipping and flicking elegantly to hit three fours and a six off Siraj and Bumrah, who needed medical attention for a cramp in the adductor region in his left leg.
But Siraj responded back by castling Head with a terrific in swinging yorker, and gave the him a fiery send-off, which saw Head replying back to the pacer, before walking off to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins hit four boundaries between themselves before Bumrah castled the latter with a lovely inswinger at the stroke of tea. Brief Scores: India 180 in 44.1 overs trail Australia 332/8 in 85 overs (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-59, Mohammed Siraj 2-95) by 152 runs.
–IANS
