No Australian cricketer in latest reminiscence, not even Steve Smith, has lived rent-free in Indian followers’ head as a lot as their dazzling opener Travis Head. Re-runs of Head’s knock within the 2023 ODI world cup last may need vanished from Indian tv and streaming gadgets however his assault has lived on within the minds. And with a caveat: the lingering chance-laden Powerplay, the place Head was overwhelmed and squared up by Bumrah and Shami however not felled in that last, continues to make the followers squirm.
Not that Head’s tryst with India is proscribed to that sport. Earlier than that within the dwelling Take a look at sequence in India, or in WTC last on the Oval, and now extra lately in Australia, he has repeatedly surprised the Indians. However is there any reality about Head’s “fortunate streak” or is it only a parochial fan’s lament?
Maybe no cricketer has straddled with fortune as typically as Head has in recent times. However what the 31-year-old does with that added vial of alternatives defines his belligerence throughout codecs.
When Mohammad Shami steps up with the brand new ball on Tuesday, will probably be laborious to suppress reminiscences from that chilly, fragile evening in Ahmedabad. There might be no Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to share the burden – the ache of these shut shaves with Head’s outdoors edge, his off-stump and the wickets in complete that by no means transformed right into a single-digit dismissal off a deviously snaking white Kookaburra. He would complete 137 in 120 balls. Australia, a sixth World Cup.
| Main openers vs New Ball since 2023 in ODIs | |||||||||
| Participant | Inns | Runs | Balls | Outs | False Shot% | Management% | Left Alone% | Overwhelmed% | Edged% |
| Travis Head | 21 | 565 | 433 | 12 | 29% | 71% | 2% | 11% | 16.40% |
| Rohit Sharma | 34 | 1069 | 866 | 16 | 19% | 81% | 7% | 7% | 10.70% |
| Shubman Gill | 38 | 853 | 886 | 8 | 15% | 85% | 7% | 5% | 10.20% |
| Pathum Nissanka | 46 | 937 | 1051 | 18 | 20.40% | 79.50% | 2.90% | 4.90% | 14.30% |
| Will Younger | 35 | 642 | 867 | 14 | 21.20% | 78.80% | 8.40% | 7.50% | 10.30% |
Credit score: Cricket-21
Shaky begins
India will needn’t look past Head’s two Champions Trophy outings to reaffirm that he’ll proceed to supply a hoard of possibilities early on. It’s as much as Rohit’s males to grab the primary given alternative.
When Jofra Archer provided a large, out-swinging supply on size underneath lights in Lahore, Head’s half-baked swipe chipped straight again to the bowler’s pocket, falling for six (5) within the third over. Chasing 274 in a rain-marred conflict in opposition to Afghanistan on the identical venue six days later, Head teased the brutality of a distinction. Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi swung the ball away from an analogous patch of Archer’s from a shorter size. Batting on 6* (5) this time, Head’s mistimed pull was put down by a fumbling Rashid Khan at mid-on. He smothered eight boundaries within the subsequent 34 balls earlier than a washout sealed Australia’s knock-out spot.
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Rohit would keep in mind an IPL evening from final yr too when the South Australian butchered Mumbai Indians on his SunRisers Hyderabad debut. Dropped on 9 within the second over of the match, Head would instantly clobber 20 off 4 deliveries within the subsequent over, ending on 62 off 24 as SRH posted a colossal 277 on board.
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| Travis Head vs New Ball* throughout codecs (ODIs +T20Is+Exams) since 2023 | |||||||||
| Travis Head | Inns | Runs | Balls | Outs | False Shot% | Management% | Left Alone% | Overwhelmed% | Edged% |
| ODIs | 21 | 565 | 433 | 12 | 29% | 71% | 2% | 11% | 16.40% |
| T20s | 21 | 590 | 318 | 13 | 30.50% | 69.50% | 0.90% | 11.30% | 17.90% |
| Exams | 16 | 290 | 349 | 10 | 19.10% | 80.80% | 4.30% | 6.90% | 10.60% |
*(New Ball – ODI and T20I Powerplay; 15 overs in Exams) Credit score: Cricket-21
Head and the Powerplay ‘opening’
Danger and possibilities, a slew of them in succession, are intrinsic to Head’s gameplay throughout codecs. The fatalities of a drop or missed alternative are pronounced within the white-ball set-ups the place Head practically leaves no supply unattended.
In line with Cricket-21 information, Head has left solely two p.c of the overall deliveries (433) he has confronted in opposition to the brand new ball within the first Powerplay throughout 21 ODI outings since 2023. Compared, India openers Rohit and Shubman Gill go away about seven p.c of their respective deliveries within the Powerplay.
Head’s protracted reliance on boundaries exaggerates the dangers within the Powerplay. His non-boundary strike charge sticks at 27.1, with Gill (32.71) and Rohit (31.54) posing comparatively greater emphasis on working between the wickets.
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Stacking up in opposition to the 4 highest run-scoring ODI openers (Rohit, Gill, Will Younger and Pathum Nissanka) on this interval, Head’s false-shot share (pictures not middled) stands the very best at 29. The Aussie left-hander can be overwhelmed greater than his contemporaries, with 11 share (47.8) deliveries making up his Powerplay shares. The corresponding figures for Rohit and Gill learn 7% and 5% respectively.
| Value of Dropped possibilities Openers since 2023 in ODIs | |||||||
| Gamers | Inns | Runs | Dismissals | Complete Drops | Runs after Drop | Value of Drop/Inns | False Pictures/Dismissal |
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | 1610 | 33 | 9 | 244 | 34.9 | 7.6 |
| Travis Head | 21 | 905 | 17 | 12 | 302 | 37.8 | 9.6 |
| Will Younger | 35 | 1397 | 32 | 6 | 107 | 21.4 | 9.4 |
| Shubman Gill | 38 | 2049 | 33 | 14 | 441 | 44.1 | 7.6 |
| Pathum Nissanka | 46 | 1931 | 42 | 14 | 372 | 33.8 | 8.4 |
Credit score: Cricket-21
Head’s erratic begins have additionally borne greater than 70 edged strokes on this interval, collectively indicating an opportunity for the opposition practically each 3.4 deliveries he faces within the ODI Powerplay. Maybe it’s not a coincidence then that Head’s T20I strokeplay shows comparable strands of streakiness within the first six overs, with negligible deviation within the false shot percentages.
Head, nevertheless, has mastered leveraging his second possibilities to its fullest. A 3rd of Head’s 905 runs in ODIs because the final World Cup yr have come on the again of dropped possibilities. Dropped on a staggering 12 of the overall 29 dismissal possibilities he has provided in 21 innings, Head has gathered 302 runs — every let-off including 37.8 extra runs to his and Australia’s tally.
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Whereas Gill aggregates extra (44.1) with every dropped catch and Rohit (34.1) practically matches as much as the Aussie’s effectiveness from a reprieve, the Indian openers provide considerably condensed false strokes (7.6) per dismissal when stacked up in opposition to Head who exudes about 10 false pictures between every of his 17 dismissals within the final two years.
Dubai might be no totally different for the nerveless Head. He’ll go away breadcrumbs for India and wield the willow as laborious as ever, however make ‘em pay for any unfastened ends early on.