Adelaide: Travis Head smashed a brilliant 140 – his eighth hundred in the format –third on his home ground, as Australia took a lead of 157 runs over India after being bowled out for 337 in 87.3 overs on day two of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
It was a tremendous attacking 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.
He was well-supported by Marnus Labuschagne coming out of poor run of form to hit an assured 64, while opener Nathan McSweeney gave a good account of himself through his knock of 39.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who was subjected to boos from crowd after giving Head an almighty send-off, picked four wickets each, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Nitish Kumar Reddy took a wicket each, with Harshit Rana struggling to hit the right areas and conceded 86 runs.
Siraj came back after tea to have Mitchell Starc chip to mid-off and then castle number eleven Scott Boland in successive overs to end with 4-98. With the floodlights coming on in the final session, Australia will have two hours of bowl under it against an Indian batting line-up, who made 180 in first innings.
Previously, the second session saw 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. Post that, it took only India 2.3 overs to end Australia’s innings headlined by a superb Head.
Brief Scores: India 180 in 44.1 overs trail Australia 337 in 87.3 overs (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-61, Mohammed Siraj 4-98) by 157 runs
–IANS
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