"It’s like having Adam Gilchrist or Rishabh Pant in your team, he’s making it look like a T20 game” - Justin Langer on Travis Head's WTC final ton
Former Australian batter and head coach Justin Langer has heaped praise on Travis Head's exceptional innings on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India.
Head notched his highest score in England as well as his first hundred against India to mark a dominating day for Australia after being asked to bat first at The Oval. The aggressive left-handed batter was unbeaten on 146 off 156 deliveries as the Aussies amassed 327-3 in 85 overs on Day 1.
Langer stated that there were shades of Rishabh Pant and Adam Gilchrist in Head's innings that comprised 22 fours and a six.
“He’s playing with great freedom, putting pressure back on the Indians. It’s like having Adam Gilchrist or Rishabh Pant in your team, he’s making it look like a T20 game,” Langer said on Channel 7.
Head was recently snubbed for the initial Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier in the year before featuring at the top of the order following David Warner's injury and making a solid impression in the process.
Head and Steve Smith have put on 251 runs for the fourth wicket already, with the latter five runs away from yet another Test century.
"He played off the front foot and the back foot" - Justin Langer on David Warner's solid showing
Before Travis Head and Steve Smith put their stamp over the proceedings at The Oval, David Warner survived a crucial phase of play under overcast conditions.
The veteran opening batter negotiated the new ball spell by Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami and went on to score 43 runs off 60 deliveries before being dismissed right before Lunch by Shardul Thakur.
Reckoning that Warner has passed his first Test in England with flying colors, former Australian batter Matthew Hayden said:
“You can see from his body language that he was right into this match. When the sun started flowing, so too did those runs. He was brilliant.”
Justin Langer chimed in and said:
“He played off the front foot and the back foot … that’s a sign David Warner’s in good form.”
Warner's defiance prevented the loss of any more wickets against the new ball after his opening partner Usman Khawaja was dismissed for a duck by Siraj in the fourth over.
Will Travis Head continue his dominance on Day 2 against India? Let us know what you think.