Travis Head's outstanding performance on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship Final in London has earned him high praise from Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting. Comparing Head to the great Adam Gilchrist, Ponting acknowledged the left-hander's ability to swing the momentum of the game in Australia's favor with a remarkable century. In an eventful day at The Oval, Australia dominated proceedings, and Head showcased his talent by scoring his first Test century in England and sixth overall, an unbeaten 146* off just 156 deliveries. The standout moment of the day was the impressive unbroken partnership of 251 runs between Head and Steve Smith (95 not out), propelling Australia to a commanding total of 327 for three by the end of the day's play.
Head displaying shades of legendary Australian Keeper
Travis Head's remarkable innings came at a crucial juncture when Australia found themselves in a precarious position at 76/3. As the audacious No. 5 batsman stepped onto the crease, he unleashed a remarkable stroke that drew comparisons to Ponting's former teammate, Adam Gilchrist.
"He probably is (similar to Gilchrist). 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," Ponting told the ICC.
"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," he added.
Travis Head's batting style in the World Test Championship aligns with that of the legendary Adam Gilchrist, who had an impressive strike rate of 81.95 throughout his illustrious Test career. Head has showcased a similar approach, scoring at a comparable rate during Australia's campaign in the championship.
During his innings at the renowned south London venue on Wednesday, Head displayed a striking resemblance to Gilchrist by attacking the Indian bowling attack from the moment he stepped onto the crease. His aggressive batting style was evident as he relentlessly punished anything over-pitched, frequently finding the boundary to swiftly tilt the match in Australia's favor. This onslaught followed a decent start by India's fast bowlers, as Head's aggressive strokeplay swiftly shifted the momentum.
Ricky Ponting, acknowledging Head's exceptional innings, believes that India's pacers missed an opportunity by not exercising more patience and failing to curtail Head's scoring spree. According to Ponting, they made a crucial mistake by allowing Head to freely accumulate runs early on, without applying the necessary pressure to restrict his scoring opportunities.
"I think when he first comes in you need to execute perfectly to him. 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," Ponting said.
