Travis Head slams fighting 89 vs India in Perth Test
What's the story
Travis Head narrowly missed out on his eighth Test hundred and his second successive one against the Indian cricket team.
The southpaw played an innings of character on Day 4 of the first Test at Perth's Optus Stadium.
He scored a fighting 89 to become Australia's beacon of hope after they were reduced to 79/5.
Notably, the team is chasing a daunting target of 534.
Here are his stats.
Player performance
Head's resilience shines amid Australia's struggle
Head displayed incredible grit on Day 4 of the first Test in Perth.
He batted with great intent and reached an unbeaten 63 as Australia struggled to 104/5 at lunch.
Despite an early lbw review, Head kept his calm and stayed strong, giving the hosts a ray of hope.
The dasher frustrated Indian bowlers with an 820-run stand with Mitchell Marsh.
Head eventually fell to Jasprit Bumrah.
Bowling prowess
Siraj and Bumrah trouble Australian batters
Notably, Australia started Day 4 at 12/3.
Mohammed Siraj struck early on Day 4, sending Usman Khawaja back for just a run and Steve Smith for a valiant 17.
Jasprit Bumrah also kept posing challenges to Aussie batters.
Amid the top-order collapse, Head stood firm and played a solid knock. He was well supported by Marsh.
Stats
A look at the Test numbers
Head slammed eight fours en route to his 101-ball 89.
Playing his 50th Test, Head has raced to 3,273 runs at 42.50. While this was his 17th Test fifty, he also owns seven tons.
Overall, he has completed 815 Test runs against against India, averaging 45.27. The tally includes four fifties and a ton.
Notably, his last Test assignment against India saw him score a match-winning 163 in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval.
Match scenario
India's strong position in 1st Test
Fueled by Yashasvi Jaiswal's 161 and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 100 on Day 3, India declared at 487/6.
This set a daunting target for Australia.
Notably, the Aussies were 161/6 at the time of Head's dismissal.
Earlier in the match, India were folded for 150 while batting first.
In response, the hosts could only manage 104/10 as stand-in skipper Bumrah claimed a fifer.