Travis Head has long been a thorn in India’s flesh, and his latest heroics in the Ashes have only strengthened that reputation. The Australian left-hander has a habit of rising spectacularly when the pressure is at its fiercest, something Indian fans remember all too well from the 2023 ODI World Cup final and the World Test Championship decider earlier that same year. But his match-winning effort in the opening Ashes Test at Perth may well be the finest innings of his career. On a lively Optus Stadium pitch offering pace and bounce, Australia were tasked with overhauling 205 in the final innings. With regular opener Usman Khawaja ruled out through injury, Head was pushed up to open alongside debutant Jake Weatherald. The move, initially a gamble, turned into a masterstroke.
Head tore into the English attack from the first over, racing to a century in just 69 deliveries and finishing with a blistering 123 off 83 balls. His knock featured 16 fours and 4 sixes, and included two crucial partnerships — a 75-run stand with Weatherald and a 117-run alliance with Marnus Labuschagne — that carried Australia to a remarkable victory inside two days. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, watching the carnage unfold, could not resist drawing parallels with the Indian heartbreak of 2023. Taking to X, he wrote:
Ravi Shastri post
“Travis Head… two years ago, you plunged my country into silence. And today, you have done it again, in the best format of the game, in blistering fashion, with one of the great innings. Take a bow. England… that was special.” Head eventually fell to Brydon Carse, but the contest had been settled by then. Labuschagne and Steve Smith completed the formalities as Australia sealed a 1-0 lead in thumping style. England captain Ben Stokes admitted after the match that he was left “shellshocked” by Head’s onslaught, a sentiment that echoed across the cricket world. For India, England, and anyone else who has suffered at the hands of Travis Head, one thing is increasingly clear — when the stakes are high, the left-hander becomes an unstoppable force.
