WTC Final 2023, Australia vs India: Travis Head (146 not out) and Steve Smith (95 not out) were involved in an unbroken 251-run partnership for the fourth wicket as Australia bossed the opening day of the WTC final against India. Australia were in complete command at stumps on the opening day of the 2023 World Test Championship final after Travis Head and Steve Smith dominated at the Oval. Head was unbeaten on 146 while Smith (95 not out) neared his 31st Test hundred as Australia reached 327 for 3 by the end of play on Wednesday. Australia were in a spot of bother when Steve Smith and Travis Head came together. At stumps, the two had added an unbroken 251 for the fourth wicket against a tiring Indian bowling attack. It was a real test for Rohit Sharma’s men but at least on the opening day, they failed to come out on top as Head and Smith played contrasting innings to put their team in total control. The Australians endured a tough first hour but they battled back first through David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne before an epic partnership between Head and Smith frustrated India.
Travis Head was outstanding. His omission from the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had created a controversy in Australia but in the final of the Test championship, he showed why he is such a dangerous batter. After an aggressive start, Head settled down to play one of the greatest Test knocks against India in recent years and became the first player to hit a hundred in a WTC final. He was the aggressor in an attritional partnership with Steve Smith who was happy to play second fiddle till his half-century before unleashing some delightful shots towards the end of the first day’s play.
Steve Smith made the most of a few extra minutes thanks to India’s poor over-rate and pressed hard to get closer to his 31st hundred. He is now 9 runs short of his 9th hundred against India.
India will have to iron out several flaws with their bowling before they take the field again on the second day. This was only the third time that India have conceded a 200+ partnership after opting to bowl first. Their pacers were good every now and then – like when Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj gave the Australian top-order batters a tough time in the first hour or when Shardul Thakur bowled a couple of peaches or when Shami troubled Head with some superb display of fast bowling as the Australian edged closer to a historic hundred.
