Last Updated: June 08, 2023, 08:25 AM IST
London, United Kingdom (UK)
IND vs AUS, WTC Final: Australia’s Travis Head scored a hundred against India (AP)
Ricky Ponting compared Travis Head to Adam Gilchrist saying that the former is scoring quicker than the Aussie legend ever did
Travis Head’s dashing century was the centrepiece of an Australia fightback against India on the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Wednesday.
Australia were in a commanding position on 327-3 at stumps after losing the toss, with Head 146 not out and Steve Smith 95 not out.
Smith brought up the pair’s 250 stand off the last ball of the day when he guided Mohammed Shami through the covers for a sweetly timed four.
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The fourth-wicket duo had come together with Australia in trouble at 76-3 after being sent into bat in bowler-friendly conditions.
But as the sun burst through the clouds in south London, the runs started to flow.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting felt he saw shades of Adam Gilchrist in Travis Head.
Head, in fact, has the highest batting strike-rate in the WTC 2021-23 of 81.91. Gilchrist, on the other hand, had a strike-rate of 81.95 during his Test career.
“He probably is (similar to Gilchrist),” Ponting was quoted asaying by ICC.
“In fact he is probably scoring quicker now than Gilly probably ever did.
“His strike-rate through this (World Test Championship) qualification period is 81, which is higher than anyone else in the world to have scored more than 500 runs.
“His confidence is growing by the game, his strike-rate keeps going up, he hits boundaries early on in his innings which puts pressure back on the bowlers which is what you want from your middle order players, and his last two years have been quite remarkable.”
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Head did start attacking from the start of his innings, scoring 24 of his first 27 runs came in boundaries.
Ponting said that the Indian pacers erred with their length early against Head and would have been better advised to remain patient and try and restrict him from scoring so freely.
“I think when he first comes in you need to execute perfectly to him,” Ponting noted.
“It is no good trying to over attack him because if you bowl any bad ball, he is going to put it away.
“They will learn by the way they bowled to him in this first innings, and they will definitely adjust in this second innings, but sometimes it is too late.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
