The Head blitz that floored England; how India too could have taken the aggressive route at Eden Gardens

In the year 2020, while sitting on a sofa in Dubai, this writer ended up watching his nephew play cricket on Xbox. And in a few minutes’ time, the scoreline caught the attention: India had raced away to about 100 for no loss in just 5-6 overs against Australia in a Test match. More than five years later, in Perth, Travis Head put on such a spectacular show versus England’s band of fast bowlers that it made you ponder whether it was another of those Xbox games.

The same England attack that had bowled with sustained hostility in the first innings was smashed to shreds as Australia chased down the target of 205 at a rate of knots. Just consider this: Jofra Archer extracts a bit of lift alongside possessing good pace. But he too wasn’t spared, as Head flat-batted a zippy back-of-a-length delivery down the ground for another boundary. Mark Wood went at around 8 an over, Ben Stokes at almost 10, Brydon Carse at 9, and Gus Atkinson at about 7. Simply put, no one was spared.

In the larger context, his mind-numbing counter-attacking innings nullified the threat of the England pace attack on a track with trampoline bounce and soothed nerves in the Australian camp. In the first innings, Australia were perhaps too tentative and allowed England’s pacers to hit their zones. Looking back, Usman Khawaja’s injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise, with Head promoted up the order.

More than a week ago, thousands of miles away from Perth, India were pursuing a target of 124. It is prudent to observe that the Eden Gardens track offered variable bounce, with enough deliveries keeping on the lower side. In such conditions, India were bundled out for a mere 93. In hindsight, could the hosts have taken a more aggressive route? A quick glance at the scorecard shows India were tottering at 77 for 7 after 33 overs.

The counterargument could be that South Africa had spinners of repute, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. Harmer, in particular, has all the tricks in the bag. Moreover, the experienced off-spinner was bowling to a bunch of left-handers. In the DRS era, it is never easy for left-handers to play with bravado against an off-spinner who gets turn at pace, and that too on a spin-friendly deck. Having said that, the Indian batters perhaps missed a trick by not employing more of the sweep and reverse sweep, based on line.

Here, another relevant query could crop up, why not try to skip down the track and essay lofts? In the DRS era, spinners are consistently bowling quicker through the air. In another era, it was more about spinners beating opponents in the air. In current times, it is more about turn at pace and the slider. Nowadays, spinners are ready to send down their offerings at even 95 kph. In such circumstances, it is difficult to just charge down the track on a dicey surface.

To illustrate the point, last year New Zealand put on an excellent exhibition of sweeps and reverse sweeps in Pune, where they tried an astonishing 67 of those shots. It also led to four dismissals, all of them in the second innings. On a result-oriented pitch, that is a given. But those shots didn’t just upset the rhythm of the Indian spinners; they also helped New Zealand add crucial runs on a surface where scoring was paramount.

In comparison, India attempted a mere eight sweeps and reverse sweeps in the second innings at Eden Gardens. Three of those were tried by Axar Patel when the result of the match was more or less a foregone conclusion. Now one can decipher why none of India’s top five batters had a strike rate of more than 40 in the last innings. Unfortunately for India, the one batter who could have counterpunched South Africa’s spinners, Rishabh Pant, was dismissed cheaply.

In the eventual analysis, in such climes, you can never play for a draw. In an imaginary sense, even 110 all out in 33 overs would be better than 77 for 7. And when you’re up against spinners of pedigree, it is improbable to defend all the time. Runs are your currency, and India couldn’t strike the right balance between attack and defence.

Somewhere in Perth, Head didn’t think much about keeping out good deliveries. His all-out attack mode floored England, an innings that would be penned in indelible ink in the annals of history.