Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Travis Head’s second-innings knock in the World Test Championship (WTC) final was in sharp contrast to his belligerent century in the first essay.
Head scored 18 runs off 27 deliveries as Australia finished Day 3 (Friday, June 9) at The Oval in London on 123/4 in their second innings. Pat Cummins and Co. enjoy a 296-run lead with six wickets in hand and will hope to set a mammoth fourth-innings target for India.
While reflecting on Australia’s second innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was taken aback by Head’s approach, saying:
“Travis Head’s innings was very interesting. The guy scored 160-odd runs in the first innings. He was batting in the second innings as though batting had become extremely difficult, that he couldn’t understand what was required to be done. Every bowler was bowling a bouncer. When you were driving the spinner, the ball was going behind the wickets.”
The former Indian opener added:
“Ultimately in a short knock, where a catch was also dropped, he looked extremely ordinary. It seemed like someone had come to bat wearing Travis Head’s mask in the second innings. Very rarely do you see that a guy dominates like that in the first innings and couldn’t bat at all in the second innings.”
Head looked edgy throughout his stay at the crease. He was dropped by Umesh Yadav in the deep, with the ball also going for a six, off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. The southpaw was caught-and-bowled by the same bowler two deliveries later.
“You started extremely well with the ball” – Aakash Chopra on India’s second-innings bowling effort
Aakash Chopra praised the Indian bowlers for bouncing back brilliantly after an underwhelming first-day performance:
“You started extremely well with the ball. That’s something that bowling is always doing, they always do well. You can say that the bowling was ordinary in the first innings, slightly less intent was seen, but the bowling still finds ways.”
Chopra highlighted that the Indian bowlers struck timely blows in Australia’s second innings:
“Here also they dismissed David Warner and then Usman Khawaja. Then there was a small partnership, which was looking slightly dangerous – Smith and Labuschagne – but Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Smith. The good thing is that Smith, the top openers and Travis Head have gotten out.”
Ravindra Jadeja (2/25) was India’s most successful bowler on Day 3 of the WTC final. While Mohammed Siraj got rid of David Warner, Usman Khawaja was Umesh Yadav’s first victim of the game.
