India, in a strong position at 75/3 at Lunch, found themselves completely out of control by 316/4 midway through the third session, thanks to a match-changing 251-run partnership between Travis Head and Steve Smith.
Both men scored centuries in contrasting styles—Head aggressively attacking the bowlers, hitting boundaries at will, while Smith quietly accumulated runs, staying in the background. This partnership was a painful reminder of their match-winning contributions in the 2023 World Test Championship Final, raising serious concerns in the Indian camp.
Despite Head’s strong form in this series and his century in Adelaide, India had failed to devise a solid plan to stop his onslaught. When they did try something different, their execution faltered.
The turning point came on the first ball of the 60th over. Mohammed Siraj bowled a bumper angling towards off-stump, but Head nonchalantly ramped the ball over the slip cordon for a two-bounce four. Simon Katich, the former New South Wales captain and current T20 coach, was in the commentary box at the time and immediately pointed out the tactical mistake.
“That is unbelievable from Mohammed Siraj. The over before, they had a man in that spot, and now he’s bowled the exact plan without the fielder there. That’s dumb. Dumb cricket. They’ve got two men on the leg side, deep point, and they had a man right in that spot for this exact plan to Travis Head, and now he doesn’t have the fielder. And now he’s going to put the fielder back there—it’s too late now!”
"That is dumb. Dumb cricket!"
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 15, 2024
Simon Katich didn't miss Siraj and India for this delivery that Travis Head ramped to the boundary…#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/tvGRG2CfIK
At the time, Head was on 53, and by the end of the day, he remained unbeaten on 150 with 25 overs still to play.