India finally tell Travis Head, ‘Not today’

At what point does a joke stop being a joke?

Over the last 12 months, if there’s one meme that’s done the rounds like no other, it’s that of Travis Head gaining magical superpowers while facing teams donning blue jerseys. In particular when he comes up against India.

Prior to the clash between Australia and India on June 24 (Monday), Head had snatched two titles away from the Men in Blue in the space of six months, across two different formats. 

First it was the World Test Championship (WTC) mace at the Lord’s, where he hammered an otherworldly 163 to propel the Kangaroos to the WTC title. 

Then, five months later, came the mother of all clutch knocks. The knock that still keeps many Indian fans up at night to this very date. 

On the grandest stage of all, at the biggest stadium in the world, Head handed India arguably the most painful defeat in the country’s history, snatching a home World Cup away from them, in front of 100,000 + rabid fans, by pounding a stupendous 137.

On June 24, to India’s relief, they were not actually taking Head and Australia on in a final. So the left-handed opener did not have the opportunity to seize the title away like he’d done in the 50-over World Cup and in the WTC final.

But he still had the opportunity to inflict more pain on India, keep the meme going and ensure that he kept giving Indian fans PTSD for the foreseeable future.

As it turned out, at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia, Head ended up achieving all the above. But he couldn’t do the one important thing he did in both Lord’s and Ahmedabad, which was to power his side to victory. 

In the last month or so, after Head’s twin dismissals against Mitchell Starc in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), the footage of the left-hander’s plays and misses against Jasprit Bumrah in the ODI World Cup final has been doing the rounds endlessly. 

A section of fans — a big chunk, mind you — reduced Head’s efforts in the final to mere luck, and claimed that 9/10 times, the opener would not survive a new ball spell from Bumrah.

On the day, it was almost as if Head walked out wanting to beat the aforementioned allegations.

Bumrah had been flawless across India’s first five games, registering an average of 6.5 and economy of 3.4. He was, by all means, unplayable. No batter across five games had smashed him for more than a boundary in a contest. 

On the other hand, Head entered the India clash on the back of a duck against Afghanistan, where once again his weakness seemed to have gotten exposed. 

Bumrah was hence expected to win this battle comfortably and bury the ghosts of Ahmedabad 2023. Well, to a certain extent at least.

But Head walked out like a man possessed and absolutely tore into Bumrah to assert his dominance right at the very beginning. In a tournament where batters have struggled to put bat to ball against Bumrah, the left-hander went 4 4 0 4 in the second over bowled by India’s talisman to pretty much leave the bowling side shell shocked. 

Head had gotten the start he’d wanted, but he was still only on 13 off 8; there was still time for India to nip his knock in the bud and avoid a repeat of Lord’s and Ahmedabad.

It was when he started tearing into Hardik Pandya that the flashbacks started getting real. Pandya, up until this game, had done an exceptional job with the ball, breaking crucial partnerships and producing well-rounded performances. 

But here his figures after two overs read 0/31. And completely responsible for the damage was Head, who smashed three sixes and a four off the all-rounder off the first seven balls he faced off him. 

Head 40* off 18. Australia 83/1 in eight overs chasing 206. This game was suddenly headed towards very familiar but horrifying territory for India and their fans.

Axar Patel taking a blinder in the next over to remove Mitchell Marsh seemed like it could be a turning point, but Head, in the very next over, smashed Pandya for three more fours to bring up his fifty and put the Kangaroos well on their way to victory.

99/2 in 10 overs read the score at this point, but it soon became 125/2 in 12, with Head moving to 62*. 

Sometimes you just know when it’s a particular batter’s day. We all knew it was Head’s day at Lord’s. We all knew November 19 was Head’s night in Ahmedabad. 

When on the final ball of the 12th over, he hit a very flat six that just evaded Pandya and crossed the boundary ropes, it started to feel like this, too, was Head’s day. 

But funny things have been happening in this World Cup. Like Virat Kohli flopping completely in a mega event. Like South Africa clutching games and choking their opponents instead of choking themselves.

And so, in line with the theme of the tournament, Travis Head, for once, was unable to take his side over the line against India in a major event. 

After the twin strikes of Axar and Kuldeep, it became Head vs India in the last four overs. But on this occasion, it was India who prevailed as the left-hander got foxed by a slower one from Bumrah.

What did India say to G̶o̶d̶ o̶f̶ D̶e̶a̶t̶h̶  Travis Head? ‘Not today’.

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