He came in when the score was 76 for 3. The game could have gone either way, and India had their tails up having picked up Marnus Labuschagne just after lunch. Both David Warner and Labuschagne had either side of the interval, and that was just what India needed after winning the toss. One more wicket, and the middle order would have had to face the music much earlier than expected.
Add to the context the fact that four years earlier, in 2019, Travis Head was dropped from the Ashes Test at The Oval in rather demoralising circumstances, with the all-round ability of Mitch Marsh preferred over his batting. That defensive mindset cost Australia the game, as England won by 135 runs to square the series. On Wednesday, it was India that were on the defensive. They dropped Ravi Ashwin, to whom Head had fallen thrice in six tests while averaging just 27, for Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
And this is not a first for India. In the 2003 World Cup final, it was over-aggression that had cost India the tournament. Winning the toss and bowling meant Sourav Ganguly did not win an ICC trophy outright during his career. Virat Kohli repeated the mistake in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, and it was Pakistan that cashed in. Today, it was Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid who overthought, and Head made the most of the opportunity.
The lack of clarity from India on the biggest stages of all is a story in itself. Either the think-tank overthinks or they get defensive, and in doing so, hand the advantage to the opposition.
Coming back to Head, he made the most of perfect batting conditions at The Oval once the sun came out. Yes, there was lateral movement, but that did not scare him. He kept playing his shots, and even when Siraj tried the short stuff, he wasn’t one to back away. He was eyeing his own redemption song, and must have thought back to four years earlier, when he had walked around The Oval with Justin Langer, the coach, discussing why he had been dropped.
The opening day of the WTC final was his opportunity. The biggest stage of all to make a telling impact, and pursue greatness. He did and in doing so, has set the game up for Australia. Unless something goes dramatically wrong, Australia have seized control of the match on the opening day itself, with India now playing catch up. Head, for all we know, could well have given Pat Cummins a sniff of the trophy.
Md. Shami picked up Labushagne and it was Aus 76/3.
But #TravisHead had other plans and accelerated his knock and scored this important ton for his team!!
How impactful knock it’ll be for Aus? @BoriaMajumdar with his thoughts 👇@ThumsUpOfficial @CricketAus #WTCFinal2023 pic.twitter.com/eL0e27rXeq
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) June 7, 2023
The one thing that stood out about Head was the intent. Even in India in February-March, Head looked to be positive against the Indian spinners from the word go. He would give brisk starts in the absence of Warner, and helped Australia redeem themselves after two poor Test matches at the start of the series.
His counter-punches pushed India back. And Rohit, despite winning the toss, had to go into a defensive mindset by tea. He had two slips and a gully, and his fast bowlers were guilty of giving Head too many loose balls. What Head has also done is give the Australians the time they need to do all they want in this game. Chances of rain on Saturday won’t bother them, and the pace at which he scored was stellar. That’s what pushed India back. It also allowed Smith to hold himself back and not feel the pressure. Even when he wasn’t scoring, Head was and that meant the scoring-rate was never an issue. Australia, thanks to Head, never got bogged down.
Coming to India, the big question to ask is why they overthink the big games? Is there a lack of clarity, an urge to overcomplicate what Ian Chappell, among others, calls a simple game? Why is it that over 20 years, this one feature hasn’t changed much? From the 2003 World Cup final to the 2023 WTC final, this mind-fog on the big occasion has clearly hurt Indian teams.
India picked two bowlers who weren’t fully fit during the Indian Premier League (IPL), and dropped the one who’s ranked No.1 among Test bowlers, who Australia feared the most. “Ashwin has a mental edge over the Australian batters,” Gideon Haigh had told RevSportz in the build-up to this game. “But if you pick a third seamer, he will certainly not have that effect.”
So why is it that the think-tank did not go with the simple plan of picking the best bowlers? More so when Australia have an abundance of left-hand batters in the line-up, including Head? Why bowl to Smith with the same plan that India had employed in Australia in 2020-21, without their trump card? We can keep asking these questions till the ducks come home. But at the end of opening day, Head and Smith have given their team a clear advantage.
A Test match is never over on day 1. And this too isn’t. Having said that, it is now a tall order for the Indians to undo the damage that has already been done. And this, despite two good-weather days to follow at The Oval.
Also Read: Ashwin Omission a Case of Overthinking from Team India?