Team India had a very tough time on the field on the second day of the third Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Travis Head and Steve Smith both scored a century and pushed India on the backfoot. Head played a counter-attacking innings and was at his best yet again against India. He scored 152 runs off 160 balls with 18 boundaries in his innings.
The Indian bowlers had a very hard toil on the field due to the partnership between Smith and Head. However, it was India’s talismanic pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who kept India in the game with a five-wicket haul. He picked up five out of the seven wickets that India scalped in the Australian innings.
Jasprit Bumrah scalped five wickets and Travis Head scored 152 runs
Bumrah picked his fifth wicket of the innings by dismissing Head. On the fifth ball of the 87th over, Bumrah bowled a full and outside the off-stump delivery to Head. Head threw his ahnds at it and tried to smash the delivery through the cover region without moving his feet. The ball moved away to take a thick outside edge off the bat of Head and flew to Rishabh Pant, who completed a sharp catch.
Australia ended the day with 405 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Alex Carey is batting on 45 runs off 47 deliveries and Mitchell Starc is batting on seven runs off seven deliveries.
What did Travis Head say?
At the end of the day, Travis Head expressed his excitement about his performance, particularly after scoring a century at the Adelaide Oval. He mentioned his focus on staying positive and spending time at the crease. He credited the top-three batters for their resilience against the new ball, which eased his task and allowed him to play freely. Head said he felt confident facing the new ball and enjoyed being aggressive while batting. He added that he aims to play long innings and stay at the crease for extended periods.
Head acknowledged Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant bowling, describing him as a constant challenge with his ability to produce wicket-taking deliveries. He shared his enjoyment of batting with Steve Smith, noting how Smith’s good form often lets him go unnoticed. Head appreciated Smith’s movement at the crease, which allowed him to be proactive.
He said: “Pretty special to do this after that ton at the Adelaide Oval. It’s all about being as positive as I can, I thought that I had to spend some time in the middle, credit to the top-3 guys for having stuck out against the new ball, it made my task easier and I could play my shots, I felt pretty positive against the new ball, but it was fun to be aggressive. I like to play long innings, I would want to bat for a long time. He bowled brilliantly (on Bumrah), bowled wicket taking balls, and was always tough facing up against him.
I always enjoyed batting with Steve (Smith), when he bats well, I always go unnoticed, I thought he was moving (his feet) very well, it allowed me to be proactive as well. I just enjoy what I do, I just want to play well for the team, for the guys in the team and I’m enjoying it. I have played enough against India, I’ve had a blueprint, a bit nervous to start against spin, I was happy with the way I started against him today (on Jadeja).
The new ball will do something throughout the game, can’t see too far ahead of the game, hopefully the weather plays up nicely, but the new ball will be crucial. The top-6 (batting) is setting up nicely, hopeful of doing well in Sri Lanka and getting into the WTC final. Very pleased for Smudge, he has had a lot against him and it’s nice to see him get back to his best form.”
