World Test Championship final: Travis Head ton gives Australia control over India

Travis Head stroked a sparkling period to enactment Australia successful a ascendant presumption against India connected time 1 of the World Test Championship last astatine The Oval.

Head shared an unbroken basal of 251 with Steve Smith, who looked successful ominous interaction for his unbeaten 95. The fourth-wicket brace took Australia to 327-3 astatine the close.

India, beaten successful the archetypal Test Championship last 2 years ago, opted to vessel archetypal connected a greenish transportation nether grey entity and reduced Australia to 76-3.

But arsenic batting conditions eased, India's back-up seamers could not transportation the menace of the new-ball bowlers and Rohit Sharma's broadside whitethorn rue omitting off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

India volition instrumentality connected Thursday with a shot that is little than 5 overs old. They indispensable onslaught aboriginal oregon hazard being batted retired of this final.

• Reaction to time 1 astatine The Oval

Australia look connected compelling day

This was a compelling time of Test cricket, the 2 premier teams from the past 2 years duelling successful challenging conditions that changed arsenic clip wore on.

Even though it was hard to blasted India for wanting to vessel first, it whitethorn beryllium that it was a bully flip to suffer for Australia - the transportation offered little question and much accordant bounce aft lunch.

Still, Australia had to enactment hard to beryllium successful a presumption to currency in, particularly successful the look of immoderate superb new-ball bowling from Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj - the second-wicket basal of 69 betwixt David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne was incredibly valuable.

Labuschagne was progressive successful a thrilling duel with Siraj, portion aboriginal Head jostled with the left-arm rotation of Ravindra Jadeja and was tested by a barrage of abbreviated bowling successful the 90s. These cut-and-thrust tussles ensured amusement was changeless for a noisy but below-capacity assemblage that was good down India.

Australia's circuit begins and ends astatine The Oval. Though determination is simply a important prize connected connection here, their show volition beryllium framed successful the discourse of the Ashes contention to come.

On the archetypal time of their six Tests betwixt present and the extremity of July, Australia showed wherefore they volition contiguous specified a formidable situation to Ben Stokes' England.

Head plays Travball

Before England were playing Bazball, Head had Travball - helium was starring runscorer during the past Ashes portion striking astatine 86 runs per 100 balls.

Arriving conscionable aft luncheon with Australia successful a tricky position, Head deed back-to-back boundaries from the 5th and sixth balls helium faced and people briskly from past on.

Strong done the disconnected side, Head played cuts and drives arsenic good arsenic a ramp disconnected Shami for six, but hardly scored a tally down the ground. Though helium was discomforted by the bumper barrage, Head afloat deserved his sixth Test hundred.

Head overtook and outscored Smith, who initially struggled for fluency earlier yet putting England connected announcement that helium is primed for different gluttonous Ashes series.

This was classical Smith, an innings wherever his batting looked some each astatine oversea and impenetrable astatine the aforesaid time. Edges ever fell abbreviated of the slips, deliveries wide of disconnected stump were worked into the limb side, thing connected the pads was devoured.

The 2nd caller shot and a deficiency of the onslaught precocious successful the time meant Smith was made to hold for his 31st Test century. An insatiable thirst for runs volition person him eyeing thing overmuch bigger connected Thursday.

Have India made the Ashwin mistake again?

India were successful a akin concern past summer, playing a one-off Test to implicit a bid against England from the erstwhile year. On that juncture they omitted Ashwin, ranked arsenic the world's fig 1 bowler, and paid the price.

Perhaps they are scarred by the erstwhile Championship final, erstwhile they paired Ashwin with Jadeja successful Southampton and mislaid to New Zealand successful 2021.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was preferred to Ashwin. Though Thakur had Warner caught down the limb side, helium and chap gait bowler Umesh Yadav were not astir arsenic potent arsenic Shami and Siraj. The injured Jasprit Bumrah was severely missed.

India person not won a planetary tourney for 10 years and if Australia proceed successful this vein overmuch into Thursday, triumph successful this last could beryllium beyond reach.

Though determination is simply a reserve time scheduled, it volition not beryllium utilized if determination are 5 afloat days of play. If the lucifer is drawn, the rubric volition beryllium shared. Without aboriginal wickets connected time two, that mightiness beryllium the champion India tin anticipation for.