India lost control of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in the second session on Sunday as Australia racked up 130 runs in just 27 overs, without losing a wicket, thanks to Travis Head and Steve Smith. Head, playing his aggressive role, cruised to a third Test century against India in just 115 balls, including 13 boundaries.
By Tea, their partnership had blossomed into an unbeaten 159 runs. The Indian bowlers grew increasingly frustrated as every attempt to break the partnership proved futile, such was the dominance of the South Australian on the day.
The contrasting moods of both teams were perfectly captured in a single moment at the start of the 61st over. Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Mohammed Siraj and engaged him in a discussion on how to stop Head.
Shubman Gill, who was busy shining the ball, quickly joined the conversation, as did Akash Deep, who had been effective earlier in the day. With Head in full flow, reminiscent of his World Test Championship final performance, the quartet, after a long discussion, decided to go with the short-ball strategy that had worked against Head in the past.
Unfortunately, they failed to anticipate how predictable the plan was—Head effortlessly swivelled on his back foot and dispatched a pull shot to the square leg boundary.
— DJ Sinha (@sdj374531) December 15, 2024
The incident became a talking point on Twitter, as fans felt it perfectly encapsulated the entire session’s story in one delivery.