3rd Test: Head, Smith centuries flatten India on Day 2 (Lead)

Brisbane (The Uttam Hindu): With clear weather at the Gabba, Travis Head and Steve Smith smashed contrasting centuries to help Australia dominate proceedings against a listless India as the hosts’ reached 405/7 in 101 overs at stumps on day two of the third Test on Sunday. The duo also shared a stand of 241 runs off 303 balls for the fourth wicket, after joining forces at 75/3. Along with Alex Carey’s unbeaten 45, Head and Smith ensured Australia had a day to remember by being in the drivers’ seat of the match. While Smith made 101, including hitting 12 boundaries, to hit a hundred for the first time since the second Ashes Test in June last year, Head smashed 152, laced with 18 boundaries, to make it back-to-back tons in Tests against India. For India, Jasprit Bumrah toiled hard to pick his 12th five-wicket haul and be the standout performer with 5-72 in 25 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj picked a wicket each, while Akash Deep, despite troubling Smith and Head initially, didn’t get a scalp. But overall, it was a day to forget for India who were taken to cleaners easily, with no plan to counter the threat from Head, the lack of bowling depth and absence of proactive field settings coming under the scanner yet again. After rain ensured only 13.2 overs were bowled on day one, the spectators in the stadium were treated to an enthralling morning session of Test cricket. Bumrah struck early by removing both openers in quick succession. He first drew Usman Khawaja forward to defend and get him caught for nine by finding the faintest of outside edges with a length delivery, which was safely pouched by Rishabh Pant to become the third Indian wicketkeeper with 150 Test dismissals against his name. Bumrah’s nagging back of the length delivery then got Nathan McSweeney to nick straight to Virat Kohli at second slip. Smith, batting with a different set-up, and Marnus Labuschagne were beginning to look settled, despite India keeping a lid on the scoring rate, though they had to deal with Siraj hobbling off in his 11th over due to a left hamstring issue, and came back later. Labuschagne went for an extravagant drive off an overpitched delivery from Reddy, but edged to Kohli’s right at second slip and fall for 12. Smith went on to survive two tight lbw appeals, and shouldered his arms constantly while Head punished anything with width by taking a four each through extra cover off Nitish and Bumrah, though he was beaten by Akash Deep from round the wicket angle. Post-lunch, Head continued to produce a stunning array of shots off the front and back foot to deflate India. After Smith began with a streaky inside edge going for four off Bumrah, Head ramped him over slip for four, before pulling Ravindra Jadeja for another boundary.

Despite Akash Deep beating Smith with three rousing deliveries, including India burning a review, the batter drove and cut him for two cracking boundaries. Head lofted and hammered Jadeja for two boundaries before reaching his fifty in 71 balls.India’s ploy to bang it short didn’t work as Head ramped, pulled and slashed Siraj for three fours, even as Smith got his fifty. After carving Siraj over gully, Head proceeded to hammer Jadeja for another boundary before he and Smith took a four each off Nitish Kumar Reddy. Despite India getting Bumrah back, there was no stopping Head as he unfurled a drive up through mid-on for four. After Smith punched Reddy through point for a boundary, Head whipped for three runs to get his ninth Test hundred and notch up another game-defining knock against India.

After tea, India managed to get some wickets, including of Smith and Head. But Carey ensured Australia went past the 400-run mark, which holds huge importance considering rain is predicted for the remaining three days of the match. Runs continued to flow for Head as he drove Reddy for four and got a life at 112 when captain Rohit Sharma, despite going to his left at first slip, dropped the catch. Along with some loose balls from India, Smith and Head used their feet well to take boundaries off Reddy, Siraj, and Jadeja before the second new ball was taken by India. Despite the change in ball, there was no change in India’s fortunes as Smith got his 33rd Test hundred, ending a drought of nearly 18 months to get a three-figure score in the longer format. But just after reaching his century, Bumrah found Smith's outside edge and this time Rohit caught it at first slip to dismiss him for 101. Head went on to reach his 150, but Bumrah got India slightly back in the match. He first had Mitchell Marsh play slightly down the wrong line and edged to second slip, before getting some away movement as Head nicked behind to Pant. Carey and Cummins hit five boundaries between themselves to share a 58-run stand for the seventh wicket, before the latter gave a feather edge behind to Pant off Siraj. Carey paddled and slog-swept Jadeja for four and six before curtains came on a day which totally belonged to Australia. Brief Scores: Australia 405/7 in 101 overs (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101; Jasprit Bumrah 5-72, Nitish Kumar Reddy 1-65) against India