WTC final: Head, Smith dominate Indians as Australia score 327/3
Australia ruled the roost on Day 1 of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval, London. The Indian seamers dismissed Usman Khawaja, David Warner, and Marnus Labuschagne within the first 25 overs. However, Travis Head (146*) and Steven Smith (95*) shared a double-century stand, taking Australia from 76/3 to 327/3. The former slammed a pacy century to enter the record books.
The summary of Day 1
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field, considering the overcast conditions. As a result, Mohammed Siraj dismissed Khawaja for a duck in the fourth over. However, India's next breakthrough came in the 22nd over when Shardul Thakur dismissed Warner. Shortly after lunch, Mohammed Shami got rid of Labuschagne with a peach. Head and Smith then punished India throughout the day.
A 106-ball century for Head
Head came to the middle after Australia were reduced to 76/3 early in the second session. He paired up with Smith, taking the Aussies past the 300-run mark. The former kept the scoreboard ticking, having reached the 50-run mark in the 44th over with a four. Head duly hammered the poor deliveries and brought up his century off 106 balls in the final session.
First-ever centurion in WTC final
Head has become the first-ever batter to score a century in the WTC final. The 2021 final between India and New Zealand turned out to be low-scoring. Devon Conway was the top-scorer in that match, with 54 runs.
Head's first century away from home
Head now has six centuries in Test cricket. The one in the WTC final is his first away from home. One of the most consistent run-scorer of late, Head has smashed his first century against India in Test cricket. His previous-highest score against the Indians was 90, which came in the Ahmedabad Test during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series.
His contribution in Australia's wins
It is worth noting that Australia won each of their previous five Tests when Head scored a century (against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, West Indies, and India). It will be interesting to see if his century hands Australia the Test mace.
Smith eyes his 31st Test ton
Smith came to the middle after Australia lost both openers in the opening session (71/2). He joined forces with Head, who turned out to be the aggressor between the two. Meanwhile, Smith took his time and tired out the Indian bowlers throughout the day. The right-hander took as many as 227 balls to reach a solid 95* in the final session.
A look at the notable numbers
Smith and Head have become the first pair to share a century and a double-century partnership in the WTC final. The previous-highest partnership in the summit clash was 96* by New Zealand's Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson during the 2021 edition. Before the ongoing match, the last instance of India winning the toss and electing to field was against South Africa in 2015.
Rohit appears in his 50th Test match
The ongoing WTC final is Rohit's 50th encounter in the format. In 49 Tests, Rohit has scored 3,379 runs at 45.66. He has piled up nine tons and 14 fifties with the best score of 212. In 24 away Tests, Rohit has managed 1,313 runs at 31.26. On home soil, the veteran cricketer has smoked 2,002 runs from 24 games at 66.73.
