On the fifth day of the fourth Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was Travis Head who turned the route of the game in Australia’s favor when India was making a smooth progression toward the draw. The target of 340 runs was never going to be achieved by the tourists, especially after finding them at 33/3 in the 27th over, it was about pushing for a draw and flying to Sydney with respect.
The two future stars of Indian cricket, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, both aggressive batters for their approach and attitude, saw off the second session of the day’s play without providing any wicket, as the 88-run stand for the fourth wicket in little under 200-balls was keeping the heart rate of the Indian fans in check, until Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, used his trump card, Travis Head, this time with the ball.
In the last 15 months, the South Australian batter has been the biggest nightmare for the blue brigade, but all of the previous contributions were with the bat that shook the Rohit Sharma-led side, but this time, the Adelaide-born deviated the course of the game with his off-spin.
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The field was spread out for Rishabh Pant, who was on 30 in 103 balls, refusing to act in his natural game. But not for much, as he looked to go for a pull shot against the tossed-up short-pitched delivery from Travis Head into the stands, but didn’t get the sweet part of the bat and ended in the hands of Mitchell Marsh.
Pat Cummins explains story behind Travis Head’s stunning celebration
Since then, India lost their last six wickets for just 28 runs in an hour, which saw them losing the game by 184 runs at one point, which was nearly out of the question. But with the dismissal of the wicket-keeper batter, Travis Head was caught by everyone, and he celebrated by pointing his finger to his other palm, which was shaped by a hole.
The bizarre celebration raised a few eyebrows as Cummins was asked to explain the reason behind it. Taken aback the first time of heard it, they asked the media manager to show him the celebration, while the latter declined to display it, saying, “In the hole, as in a hole in one.”
“Oh, sorry! Yes, okay! I can explain that. His (Travis Head’s) finger is so hot, that he is going to put it in a cup of ice. Yes, that’s what it is. That’s normally the running joke. Was it at the Gabba or somewhere, where he got a wicket as well and just got straight to the fridge, grabbed a bucket of ice, put his finger in, and just walked in front of Lyno (Nathan Lyon)? Just like that, thinks it’s very funny. So that’s what it would have been, nothing else.”
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Travis Head has already changed the course of the series in the last two games. During the home Test in the pink-ball day-night affair, the left-handed batter drilled a 140-run knock in 141 balls with the help of 17 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of just below 100.
In the previous Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, he stitched a 241-run stand for the fourth wicket with Steve Smith, progressing to 152 runs in 160 runs, thanks to 18 boundaries, to be the current leading run-getter of the series with 410 runs in seven innings at an average of 58.57 and a strike rate of 92.55. He will aim to extend the same touch in the fifth and final game in Sydney.