'Dumb cricket': Ex-Australia opener tears into Mohammed Siraj and Rohit Sharma's clueless field placement after Travis Head uppercuts him for boundary

IND vs AUS: Travis Head was not troubled by Mohammed Siraj or any other bowler as he went on to score another century against India.

Sports Tak

• Sun • 15 Dec 2024

India's Mohammed Siraj (L) reacts after Australia's Travis Head (C) celebrates with teammate Steve Smith after hitting a boundary on day two of the third cricket Test match between Australia and India at The Gabba in Brisbane on December 15, 2024.

Mohammed Siraj, Travis Head

Highlights:

India bowlers had no answer to Travis Head's counterattack.

Head scored his third Test century against India.

Head became first batter to bag a king pair and score a century at a venue in same calendar year.

Once again, the Indian team failed to find ways to get Travis Head out early. The in-form batter once again launched a counter attack and entertained the crowd at The Gabba, Brisbane with a flurry of boundaries. India did not have a definitive plan against Head and it showed. They did not persist with the short ball ploy and when they did, they erred in field placement.

The incident happened on the first ball of the 60th over. Mohammed Siraj bowled a bouncer and Head played an upper cut to find a boundary. The boundary irked former Australian opener Simon Katich as Siraj had a fielder there in the previous over and removed it. He also indirectly took a dig at captain Rohit Sharma and called Siraj 'dumb' for not having the field placement to create a chance against Head.

"He ramps and he ramps it successfully again. That is unbelievable from Mohammed Siraj because the over before he had a man right in that spot and he's run in and bowled what they were planning without the fielder there. That is dumb cricket. They've got two men out on the leg side, they've got a deep point, they had a man right in that spot for this very plan to Travis Head and then he doesn't have the fielder. Now he's going to put the fielder back down there right now. Force is bolded buddy," Katich said while commentating in the second session of Day 2.

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Head scripts history

Head went on to score his ninth Test century and third against India. The left-handed batter reached his century from 115 balls in the second session.

The 30-year-old scripted history at The Gabba. He became the first batter to register a king pair and a century at a venue in the same calendar year. Also, he is the sixth batter to have a pair (ducks) and a century at a venue in the same calendar year.

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Siraj struggles in Brisbane

From 75/3 in the first session, Head and Steve Smith helped Australia recover. Meanwhile, Siraj remained wicketless in the first two sessions. Towards the end of first session, he pulled a hamstring or had a problem in his knee. He left the field and came back in the second session.