The centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith helped Australia to dominate Day 2 of the Gabba test against India. They ended the day on 405/7 and have already gained an edge in the game.
Starting the day on 28/0, Australia started on a cautious note. Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was lethal with his seam movement to induce an edge of Usman Khawaja (21) draw first blood for the hosts.
Bumrah’s back-of-length delivery climbed a little higher to take an outside edge of Nathan McSweeney (9). Marnus Labuschagne lived dangerously during his entire stay, as his partner Steve Smith was the key run-scorer in their partnership.
Labuschagne tried to slash a widish ball of Nitish Kumar Reddy to the covers, but his expansive shot resulted in an edge, which was caught by Virat Kohli at slips. The dismissal reduced the Australian side to 75/3, as they needed a partnership to compile a good enough total.
This is when the in-form Travis Head arrived at the crease and exuded confidence to the hosts with his impressive boundary-hitting. At Lunch, Australia were at 104/3.
After carefully negotiating with Jasprit Bumrah in the initial part of the second session, Smith and Head attacked Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja to set up the momentum for the Australian team.
Soon, Head and Smith got into the act and punished bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Reddy, who tried to bowl short balls at them, but they ended up being half-trackers.
Head continued to attack the Indian bowlers and eventually completed his century off 115 balls. At tea, Australia were at 234/3.
Alex Carey helps Australia end the day on a high
The positive intent of Head had a significant impact on Steve Smith, as he was impactful to speed up the run-rate with his boundaries against Ravindra Jadeja. Smith finally ended his 18-month long hiatus by reaching the three-figure mark off 185 balls.
However, Smith was soon dismissed on 101 by Jasprit Bumrah, as the pacer caught a thick edge of his willow through a fuller ball.
Mitchell Marsh (5) continued his disappointing form, edging the good length ball of Bumrah to Kohli. In the same over, Head tried to drive a fuller ball towards the cover, but ended up playing a loose shot and his edge wad caught by Pant. The southpaw slammed 152 off 160, with 18 fours.
Then, Alex Carey stitched a crucial 58-run partnership with captain Pat Cummins (20), that put India back under pressure after a flurry of breakthroughs.
Carey slog-swept Ravindra Jadeja for a big six towards the deep mid-wicket region to show an overall picture of how India fared during Day 2. Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) remained unbeaten as Australia ended the day on 405/7.
It will be a stern task for the Indian team to bounce back after a disastrous Day 2 of the Gabba test. The third day could certainly determine their fate of this fixture.
FAQs
How many centuries has Travis Head scored in Tests?
9 (including Gabba test)
What happened in last India-Australia test in Gabba?
India became the first team to beat Australia after 32 years at the venue.
