Travis Head has been instrumental with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 410 runs in 7 innings so far. However, in the 4th Test at Melbourne, the middle-order batter turned out to be a trouble for the Indian team with the bowl. Head took an important breakthrough for his team as he got rid of a dangerous-looking Rishabh Pant who had played 104 balls before his dismissal. However, it was not Pant’s wicket but Head’s celebration which stole the spotlight.
Travis Head’s celebration left the cricketing community puzzled
Head’s celebration came as he broke a crucial 4th wicket partnership for India after Tea. Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal had earlier stopped the fall of wickets after the entire Indian top-order crashed following skipper Rohit Sharma’s departure. The duo batted for an entire session post-lunch, saving their wickets but the Aussies had choked the runs too. This proved to be too much for Pant, who tried to end the drought of runs and played a lofted shot to give an easy catch to Mitchell Marsh on the boundary.
After the breakthrough, Head celebrated his success by making a hollow form of his left hand and putting his index finger of the other hand in it. Fans and analysts alike were puzzled at what the celebration meant from the 31-year-old. The celebration didn’t sit well with the Indian fans as they deemed it as an offensive gesture.
Also Read: WATCH: Rishabh Pant runs out Mitchell Starc with a perfect throw on Day 4 of the AUS vs IND 4th Test
Travis Head gets Rishabh Pant and pulls out a unique celebration 👀#AUSvIND | #PlayOfTheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/EVvcmaiFv7
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 30, 2024
Reason behind Head’s unusual celebration
The real reason behind Head’s celebration appeared later on during the match as India’s second innings progressed further. Channel 7 commentator James Brayshaw provided a rational reason behind the out-of-the-box celebration from the part-time bowler. After taking 4/10 in 2022 against Sri Lanka, Head had joked about needing to ‘put the digit on ice’ after his sensational spell. Brayshaw argued that it was a remembrance of the spell back then as Head was wicketless before that match in Test cricket. His co-commentator, Greg Blewett was also clueless about the celebration, as he said, “I had no idea what that was about, but great work from the backroom team to figure it out.”
Head has emerged out to be a handy bowling option apart from his batting prowess. The South Australian has taken 14 wickets and bowled 11 maiden overs in his Test career so far. The middle order batter didn’t contribute in his team’s win much with the bat at the MCG, but getting an important breakthrough would have given him some sort of redemption.