Gabba Test: Harbhajan Singh criticizes India's strategy against Travis Head
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has slammed the Indian cricket team's strategy during Day 2 of the ongoing Gabba Test against Australia He opined India should have sent Jasprit Bumrah against Australian batsman Travis Head earlier in the match. "I think India could have done better when he walked in. They didn't attack too much," Harbhajan said on Star Sports, stressing Bumrah should have bowled at least two-three overs to Head initially.
Head's impressive performance in Gabba Test
Head was at his best during the Gabba Test against India. He scored his ninth Test hundred and second consecutive century in the ongoing series. Harbhajan Singh, however, believes India's tactics could have been better when Head came on to bat as they didn't attack him much in the beginning. While Head made 52, Steve Smith also smoked a ton (101) as Australia finished Day 2 at 405/7. Bumrah claimed five wickets.
Hayden echoes Harbhajan's concerns over India's approach
Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden also expressed concerns over India's approach in the Gabba Test. He observed that India let Head settle in quickly, getting to 20 runs easily. "I just felt that they missed a trick early up with Travis Head," said Hayden, drawing parallels with Virat Kohli's performance in the Perth Test where he scored his 30th Test hundred after a similar start.
How has the match proceeded?
The ongoing Test match had a difficult start, with rain restricting play to just 13.2 overs on Day 1. On Day 2, Australia resumed at 28/0 and Bumrah soon sent openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney back within the first hour of play. However, despite early breakthroughs by Bumrah, Smith and Head counterattacked with a 241-run stand. Both centurions fell to Bumrah. The pacer sent back Mitchell Marsh to complete his fifer.
