Head and Smith put Indian bowlers through the wringer
(ESPNCRICINFO) – Travis Head and Steven Smith feasted on India’s wayward attack in what weren’t easy batting conditions to put Australia in the box seat of the WTC final by the end of day one at The Oval. Head scored his first century outside Australia, and Smith was five short of his 31st overall as they took Australia from 76 for 3 to 327 for 3 at stumps. Head turned his century – the first in a WTC final – into a big one: an unbeaten 146 off 156 with 22 fours and a six.

The big talking point for India remained the selection of a fourth fast bowler over R Ashwin, a strategy that worked for them against England in 2021. They perhaps were influenced by the 6mm of grass cover on the pitch and the overcast skies in the morning, but they didn’t find close to the kind of control you expect from the third and fourth quicks of a four-man pace attack. Between them, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur bowled 32 overs for 129 runs and one wicket.

Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were good as usual with the new ball after India put Australia in. The 12 overs in the first hour conceded just 29 runs, produced the wicket of Usman Khawaja for a duck, and the 21 false responses created suggested there could have been one or two more around the corner.
However, the change-up bowlers, Umesh and Thakur, provided relatively easy runs at various points after that opening spell of play. Umesh provided David Warner a half-volley second ball into the attack, and was then hit for four boundaries square or behind square on the off side in his second over.
Warner would have thought that was the reward he deserved after roughing it out in the first hour, but India enjoyed some good fortune as Thakur had him caught down the leg side off a short ball just before lunch.

India went to Siraj and Shami, the likeliest bowlers to produce a wicket, post lunch. Shami’s first ball was a peach, seaming in to uproot Marnus Labuschagne’s off stump. India still had a chance there if they could get it right for long enough periods.
Head, who lost his No. 5 position in a horses-for-courses policy in India, had other ideas. Shami had a left-hand batter in sight, he was fresh into a new spell, the ball was still seaming, he beat Head early on, but Head soon imposed his intent on India.

The fifth ball that Head faced was only slightly wide and slightly short, and he crashed it away for four. His attacking game through the off side soon had India fumbling for ideas. They moved a slip out to put a sweeper back on the off side, but then Head was quick to cash in on anything too straight. Siraj conceded two such boundaries.
In a small byplay at the other end, Smith found it difficult to adjust to the uneven bounce and the sideways movement. His response was different to Head’s. He continued to fight it out whereas Head didn’t mind attacking. On the surface Head looked better but he offered false responses more often than Smith: Smith’s control percentage was 90 to Head’s 69. Those, again, are their roles. Smith builds, Head counterattacks.

Things became easier for Smith when Thakur went searching once too often. Thakur is an ambitious bowler who bowls full and straight more often than the others. It probably works when you are bowling off the pressure created by three world-class quicks. Playing as the third seamer practically, he probably went full once too often. Smith cashed in, and a 16-run over resulted.
With the ball still doing a bit for the quicks, it said a lot of India’s options that they went to Ravindra Jadeja before Umesh in the middle session. For a while Thakur went to the leg attack that worked for India in Australia, but Smith was well set and was willing to ride the period out.