[WATCH] India dismiss Travis Head with superb planning during AUS vs IND 1st ODI

India finished their first innings’ batting with 136 runs on the board in the reduced 26 overs, due to several rain breaks. Five runs were taken out of the score for the newly made target for the Australia side during the opening ODI of the three-match series at the Optus Stadium in Perth, as both sides needed one good start with either bat or ball to seize the early momentum. 

For the hosts, the center of attraction was Travis Head, the free-flowing left-handed opening batter, who clubbed Mohammed Siraj for a boundary through the mid-on region. He smacked the Hyderabad-born for the same result over mid-off on the last ball of the over to send an ominous sign to the Blue Brigade.

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But India came up with a super plan during the bowling of Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm seamer kept the line of the ball away from the batter’s arc. The southpaw went hard at the ball and sliced it into the hands of the deep fielder, who was perhaps stationed at the position for that only shot. India’s celebration indicated how they successfully got the wicket with the plan.

Watch: Travis Head falls to India’s trap during AUS vs IND 1st ODI in Perth

It was not a good start for the Indian side as they lost their top three, newly made captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, quite cheaply, before the rain stopped the proceedings. When it restarted for a brief period, Shreyas Iyer went back to the pavilion. Another long spell of rain reduced the clash to 26 overs.

KL Rahul and Axar Patel freed their arms to play the big shots around the park. The former clubbed 38 runs in 31 balls, while the southpaw smashed 31 runs in 28 deliveries, and Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed with a cameo of unbeaten 19 runs to shoulder them to 136/9 in their 26 overs.

Australia, despite the wicket of Travis Head, moved quite sweetly toward the target. Their captain, Mitchell Marsh, had already punched three over boundaries to shoulder them to 38/1 in the first six overs of the innings.