Travis Head just loves India, especially when Rohit Sharma is captaining as the left-hander with a twirling moustache, twirled his bat around for fun and notched up the fastest century by a batter in day-night Test in Adelaide on Day 2 of the ongoing Test on Saturday, December 7. Head broke his own record as he registered his eighth century in the longest format of the game and second against his favourite opponent as Australia reached ascendancy in the second Test.
Head was dropped by Mohammed Siraj on 76 off R Ashwin but his ultra-aggressive approach worked yet against India, who went defensive too soon once the left-hander started playing his shots. Apart from that chance and Rishabh Pant’s brain fade off Harshit Rana in the very next over, Head was positive and solid as ever and notched up his three-figure mark, his seventh in World Test Championship (WTC) history.
Head’s ton came off just 111 balls, one less than his previous fastest hundred in a day-night Test against England in 2022 in Hobart. Head also has the third fastest century in pink-ball Test to his name off 125 balls against the West Indies at this very ground in 2022. Joe Root and Asad Shafique are other batters on the list.
Fastest centuries in day-night Tests (balls faced)
111 – Travis Head (vs India), Adelaide 2024
112 – Travis Head (vs England), Hobart 2022
125 – Travis Head (vs West Indies), Adelaide 2022
139 – Joe Root (vs West Indies), Edgbaston 2017
140 – Asad Shafiq (vs Australia), Brisbane 2016
Head and earlier Marnus Labuschagne ensured that Australia got into the lead seamlessly. Nitish Reddy and R Ashwin provided India with a couple of breakthroughs but lack of bouncers to Head despite the WTC 2023 final lesson in the back of their minds was surprising as India paid the price for poor tactics and listless bowling, apart from Jasprit Bumrah.
