Gabba Test: Bumrah does damage control after Head-Smith assault
Centurions Travis Head and Steve Smith headlined the proceedings on the second day of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane. The duo toiled the Indian bowlers as the hosts finished the day at 405/7. Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah restricted the damage with a brilliant five-wicket haul. Here we look at the Day 2 report.
Bumrah's early strikes and Australia's counterattack
The match resumed after rain curtailed play to just 13.2 overs on Day 1, with India in tough conditions. Jasprit Bumrah made an immediate impact, dismissing Australian openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney in the first hour. His immaculate seam control and accuracy was on display as he left Australia reeling at 38/2. However, Smith and Head counterattacked brilliantly, putting Australia in a strong position as the pitch eased.
A 241-run stand between Smith and Head
Head arrived with the scorecard reading 75/3. He joined forces with Steve Smith and the duo added 241 runs for the fourth wicket. Head dominated the partnership as he found boundaries for fun after getting settled. His brilliance took the Aussies past 300. Both batters eventually fell to Bumrah. The pacer sent back Mitchell Marsh to complete his fifer. Meanwhile, Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) returned unbeaten for Australia.
Third Test hundred vs India
Head slammed 18 fours en route to his 160-ball 152. Playing his 52nd Test, Head has raced past 3,500 (now 3,565) runs at 44.56. While this was his ninth Test hundred, he also owns 17 fifties. He has also completed 1,000 Test runs against against India (now 1,107), averaging 52.71. The tally includes four fifties and three tons. This was his second successive hundred as he scored a match-winning 140 in the second Test in Adelaide.
Smith equals Root
Smith departed for 101 off 190 balls (12 fours). This was Smith's 10th Test hundred vs India, the joint-most against the opposition. The batter now boasts 2,162 runs against India in 22 Tests at an average of 61.77. This was Smith's 33rd Test century. Notably, Smith also has 41 fifties in the format. Standing in his 112th Test, he has raced to 9,805 runs at 56.35.
12th Test fifer for Bumrah
Bumrah finished the day with 5/72 from 25 overs. He has now raced to 17 wickets in the ongoing series at 12.18 (5W: 2). The fast bowler picked up his 12th Test fifer. This makes him the Indian pacer with the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests, only behind Kapil Dev (23). The pacer has overall raced to 190 wickets in 42 Tests at 19.82. The 30-year-old owns 49 wickets against Australia at 18.10 (5W: 3).
