After the washout result in the opening T20I at the Manuka Oval and Australia’s victory in the second encounter at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the focus was on the third game of the five-match series at the Ninja Stadium in Hobart between Australia and India, for whom it was a vital clash to stay active in the series. 

Quite surprisingly, in a change of fate, India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a surface that was anticipated to provide some early swing and movement. The tourists made three changes in their eleven by bringing Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, and Washington Sundar, while the home side got Sean Abbott in place of rested Josh Hazlewood.

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Arshdeep made an early impact with the new ball, sending back Travis Head on the fourth ball of the game. After a double on the opening ball of the over, the southpaw went on his back foot and timed the left-arm seamer through the fine-leg fence for a boundary. But the Punjab-born had the last laugh.

Watch: Arshdeep Singh draws first blood with Travis Head’s wicket during AUS vs IND 3rd T20I in Hobart

On the fourth ball of the over, Head was dismissed for six runs. It was a wide-length delivery outside the hitting arc of the batter, who got forward to loft it, and the ball kept shaping away. It saw the ball going ballooned in the air as Suryakumar Yadav settled under it at mid-off and grabbed an easy catch to send the aggressive batter back into the clash.

Back with a bang! #ArshdeepSingh forces #TravisHead into a drive and #SuryakumarYadav makes no mistake. #AUSvIND 👉 3rd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/JJaBX22Idf pic.twitter.com/gpdBAZjFpO

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 2, 2025

It was the third dismissal of the pacer against Head in T20S in seven innings. The batter has clubbed 57 runs in 38 balls in this battle at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 150. In his second over, Arshdeep picked up the wicket of Josh Inglis.

India made a clinical start with the ball inside the power play. But they needed to get Tim David early in the innings, as the batter has a fine record of 577 runs in 26 T20 innings at this venue at a strike rate of over 170.

In a significant development, Australia's genius opener Travis Head is said to be missing the last two T20Is against India to prepare for the forthcoming Ashes series. The decision comes as part of Cricket Australia’s strategy to prioritize red-ball cricket ahead of the marquee Test series against England. Head’s withdrawal would follow that of Josh Hazlewood, who has already opted out of the 4th and 5th T20Is.

According to a report by CodeSports, the Ashes is less than a month away, and Australian players are keen to begin early preparations. England’s tour of Australia for the five-match Test series starts on November 21, and several senior players have started adjusting their workloads accordingly. With Head unavailable, Matthew Short is expected to move up the order and open alongside captain Mitchell Marsh in the remaining T20Is.

Head’s current form might have also influenced the decision, as the left-hander has managed only 93 runs in four innings across formats on the ongoing tour of India. In contrast, Short has been in impressive touch, scoring 112 runs in three ODI innings, though he was dismissed for a golden duck in the first T20I.

Cricket Australia Focus Shifts to Ashes Preparations

Cricket Australia is concentrating on the Ashes with both players and staff structuring their timing around the focal event. Head’s decision is similar to Hazlewood’s previous decision in signalling that the team wants to prioritize Test match readiness. Coach Andrew McDonald had also left the camp after the first ODI to begin Ashes planning, holding discussions with Steve Smith and Pat Cummins.

See Also: 'He Should Have Continued with Same...' - Former India all-rounder questions Abhishek Sharma’s approach in 2nd T20I vs Australia

England too appears to be taking a similar approach, with Jofra Archer being rested from the first ODI against New Zealand as part of workload management. Both teams are now looking to balance T20 commitments with red-ball preparation as the prestigious Ashes series draws closer.

India faced a nightmare with the bat during the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after the opening game was washed out due to rain at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. They kept losing wickets regularly inside the power play and could never settle for a decent score on the board in the first innings.

Apart from Abhishek Sharma, who scored 68 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 183.78 with the help of eight boundaries and a couple of sixes, and Harshit Rana, who clubbed 35 runs in 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 106.06, none of the batters in the line-up crossed the double dight mark. India got bundled out for 125 runs in 18.4 overs.

See Also: [WATCH] Harshit Rana smashes splendid 6 during AUS vs IND 2nd T20I at MCG

With the ball, India couldn’t make a good start as their pacers, Rana and Jasprit Bumrah, were off the radar before Varun Chakravarthy came to draw the first blood with the wicket of Travis Head, who smashed 46 runs in 26 balls at a strike rate of 176.92.

Watch: Varun Chakravarthy draws first blood with Travis Head’s wicket in AUS vs IND 2nd T20I

On the third ball of the fifth over, Varun went short and away from Head, who made room and lofted the length delivery over the bowler’s head. He looked to clear the man at the long-off region, but didn’t have the full power on the shot as Varma made the right adjustment to grab the catch and send the batter back for 28 runs.

#TravisHead looked to go big, but @TilakV9's sharp footwork and quick thinking at long-off made sure he didn’t! 🔥

A brilliant catch that perfectly sums up India’s energy in the field tonight! 🇮🇳🙌#AUSvIND 👉 2nd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/mq9j8bivd0 pic.twitter.com/gQDcNbxHBh

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 31, 2025

With two fours and as many sixes, Mitchell Marsh collected 20 runs off the first five balls of Kuldeep Yadav’s opening over before getting dismissed for 46 runs. Varun came back to pocket the wicket of Tim David.

But at 104/3 in 10 overs, with just 22 runs required at the halfway mark, the home side was well and truly in the chase. India needed something miraculous to turn the tables from that position.

Australia’s aggressive left-handed opening batter, Travis Head, has revealed that there would be no reason for them to back out from the firing approach during the five-match T20I series against India down under. Having won the three-match ODI series by a 2-1 margin, they will again begin the T20I series in Canberra as favorites.

Captain Mitchell Marsh, Head and wicket-keeper batter Josh Inglis will be Australia's top three while their middle-order will contain the firepower of Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, and Marcus Stoinis, along with Mitchell Owen and Matthew Short. Australia has been scoring at a strike rate of 169.97 with an average of 61 in this calendar year during the powerplay overs.

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“When you’ve got the power that we’ve got behind us, we’ve got to get a move on. You don’t want to be chewing up balls at the start when you’ve got (Tim) David, (Marcus) Stoinis, (Josh) Inglis, (Cameron) Green, and (Glenn) Maxwell behind you. It’s huge power.” Head expressed to cricket.com.au.

Travis Head challenges India ahead of AUS vs IND T20I series against India

Since the last T20 World Cup 2024, Australia rebooted their attacking batting and have been scoring at over 10 runs an over, which could also be the case against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side, as both sides have been preparing themselves for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

“We can score anything if we can get going. So, for Mitch (Marsh) and me (the plan is to) try and go out there and take advantage of it (Powerplay fielding restrictions). It’s been a strength of ours for a couple of years that if you look at both one-day cricket and T20 cricket, we’ve put a big emphasis on the Powerplay.” The southpaw added.  

“We try not to be reckless, but at some stage it will look like that, but yeah, the plan is to try and get as many as possible.” Travis Head concluded. The opening encounter will be played on October 29 at the Manuka Oval in Canberra before the action shifts to the MCG and Hobart for the following games. The fourth and fifth games will take place in Gold Coast and Gabba on November 06 and 08, respectively.

Australia’s captain, Mitchell Marsh, won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first on a hard surface that was offering good bounce for the batters to play their shots around the park. And his opening stand with Travis Head was an example of how much the right decision was from their end, as they made just one solitary change of bringing Nathan Ellis for Xavier Bartlett.

Head and Marsh saw off the first three overs from Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana, who moved the ball in both ways to get some swing and seam movement. But with the ball losing its shine, both the batters went after the short balls from the Indian pace attack and collected runs all around the park.

See Also: Why is Nitish Kumar Reddy not playing today in AUS vs IND 3rd ODI?

Later, it was Siraj who drew the first blood with the wicket of Head for 29 runs. The southpaw clubbed the leg-sided delivery of the Hyderabad bowler into the covers for a boundary before cutting the short of a length delivery straight into the hands of the backward point fielder.

Watch: Mohammed Siraj sends back Travis Head on 29 runs during AUS vs IND 3rd ODI

That was the eighth time in 19 innings Siraj dismissed Head across formats in the game. The left-handed opening batter of the Australian side became the fastest for the national side to complete 3000 ODI runs in 76 innings, overtaking Steve Smith’s 79 innings. He also took the fourth-lowest balls (2839) to complete the milestone, as Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, and Jos Buttler were ahead of him in the list.

Much needed! 💪

Just as the opening stand was starting to look dangerous, #MohammadSiraj gets #TravisHead! 👏🇮🇳#AUSvIND 👉 3rd ODI | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/0evPIuANAu pic.twitter.com/Kimj8efFnZ

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 25, 2025

After Head’s wicket, Marsh was dismissed for 41 runs in 50 balls with the help of five boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 82. Axar Patel was able to break the stumps of the right-handed batter as India started to get their way back into the game.

The visitors made two changes in the playing eleven, with Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna getting a look in place of Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who were ruled out of the clash with injury.

Virat Kohli’s comeback series has started on a challenging note. Two consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia were far from what his fans had hoped for. However, Kohli’s sharp instincts in the field during the second ODI in Adelaide drew attention and highlighted his cricketing acumen.

As India defended 265, cameras captured an interesting moment between Kohli and Australian batter Travis Head, who was on 28 at the time. Indian fans still remember Head’s explosive 137 off 120 in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which shattered India’s dream of winning the trophy for the third time.

Aware of Head’s potential to dominate the game quickly, Kohli approached the Australian opener, placed an arm around his shoulder, and said something. Moments later, Head miscued a shot off Harshit Rana and was caught by Kohli himself. Though the exact words remain unknown, the incident highlighted Kohli’s psychological sharpness on the field.

Kohli Equals Yuvraj Singh in Most Ducks for India in ODIs

Despite the fielding highlight, India lost the match by 2 wickets, with Australia sealing the series 2-0. For the first time in his career, Kohli scored two back-to-back ducks in ODI cricket. In 304 matches, he has now recorded 18 ducks, equalling Yuvraj Singh, who played 301 ODIs to achieve the same.

Watch the video here

Virat Kohli's strategic distraction! Travis Head was out next ball. Master of the mind games. 😉

​#ViratKohli
​#TravisHead
​#CricketBanter
​#MindGames
​#Cricket
​#INDvAUS
​#Wicket
​#OnFieldFun
​#Goat
​#CricketFever pic.twitter.com/DBWtp9q9j8

— Umesh patel (@umesh_pate26949) October 24, 2025

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While Kohli and Yuvraj are joint-4th on India’s list of most ducks in ODIs, the 3rd position belongs to Anil Kumble with 18 ducks in 269 matches. The 2nd spot is held by Javagal Srinath with 19 ducks in 229 matches, while the record is held by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 20 ducks in 463 ODIs.

Though India has already lost the 3-match series 2-0, the Men in Blue will look to restore pride in the third ODI. The final match of the series will be played on October 25 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Fans will be keen to see if India makes any changes to the squad and whether Kohli can regain his form with the bat while continuing his brilliance in the field.

India couldn’t cross the par score at the Adelaide Oval during the second ODI of the two-match series against Australia. For them to win the fixture and keep the series alive, it was important to earn a victory during the second encounter. To defend their 264 runs in the first innings, the tourists needed to take wickets up front with the new ball, and Travis Head was one of the most important ones.

Head didn’t contribute much in the previous game at the Optus Stadium in Perth when he holed out to the planning of the Indian side, where they kept the square leg fielder and pushed the southpaw to hook against the left-arm pace of Arshdeep Singh.

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In Adelaide, Head had a very good record across formats. But Harshit Rana showed his magic by sending back the batter for 28 runs. The southpaw looked to close the face of the bat against the length delivery and ended up getting a massive leading edge. The ball went high, and Virat Kohli came at mid-off and called for it.

Watch: Harshit Rana dismisses Travis' head for 28 during AUS vs IND Adelaide ODI

Kohli was calm and comfortable under the ball, judging the pace and rotation of the ball as Rana opened his account. It was a very good start for him with the ball after smashing a fine knock of 24 runs in 18 balls with the help of three boundaries to shoulder the Indian side over the 250-run mark.

You cannot keep this man out of the game! 😎#HarshitRana outfoxes Travis Head who gives a simple catch to #ViratKohli. 👏#AUSvIND 👉 2nd ODI | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/dfQTtniylt pic.twitter.com/Hrfh9iRlhS

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 23, 2025

Earlier in the day, India’s top order failed to lay down the platform with the bat before the century stand between the two half-centurions, Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma, pushed them to a decent score while Axar Patel claimed a fine knock of 44 runs in 41 balls. Adam Zampa and Xavier Bartlett shared nine wickets between them.

Before Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh looked to smash Arshdeep over the mid-on region for a six and ended up getting an outside edge into the blade. The left-arm pacer picked up one wicket for 22 runs in six overs, while Rana has the current figures of 1/21 in four overs.

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.

Instant impact! 🤩#ArshdeepSingh's first ball to #TravisHead and #TeamIndia have their first wicket. 🙌#AUSvIND 👉 1st ODI | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/FkZ5L4CrRl pic.twitter.com/wk0iE6Rgjq

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 19, 2025

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.

Fans have been eagerly waiting for the return of Virat Kohli in comparative cricket for the first time since the end of IPL 2025, when he won the title for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). It will also be the return of the veteran in national colors since the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.

Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma, who was removed from the ODI captaincy with Shubman Gill taking his place, aim to be part of the next ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. But for that, their first challenge will be to find the same shape against the Australian side, as their vice-captain, Travis Head, shared that his plan would be to remain relaxed while facing an energetic competitor like Kohli.

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“I get triggered by what I'm annoyed by. I think a lot of people would say Virat because of how good he is. He's always getting runs, but he has just his high energy. He's always into you, and I'd like to stay nice and relaxed as well.” Head revealed in the video of Star Sports.  

Watch: Travis Head shares plan to counter Virat Kohli during AUS vs IND ODIs

Considering Kohli's experience, Head felt that the former captain is always present on the field, either at the slip position or walking in the field during the game, which creates a bit of pressure but makes the contest more exciting. He is just 417 runs behind crossing Kumar Sangakkara to become the second leading ODI run-getter.  

🗣 "Always fantastic to play against Virat."#MitchellStarc and #TravisHead see #ViratKohli not just as tough competition, but as a truly great cricketer! 🔥#AUSvIND | 1st ODI | SUN, 19th OCT, 8 AM, on Star Sports Network & JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/pxghFLHIVv

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 10, 2025

“So if I got someone checking in the slips or coming past all the time, it's good fun, but hopefully I'm batting long enough in the innings to get annoyed by it, but it's always a good battle. Yeah, I've played a lot against Virat. I've always been fantastic at the play.” Head shed light.

The three-match ODI series will begin on October 19. If reports are to be believed, then Kohli is anticipated to be part of the Delhi side for a few games during the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 ahead of their home season against South Africa and New Zealand.

Just when calls are made to privatize the Big Bash League (BBL), it has been revealed that the World Cup winning Australian captain, Pat Cummins, and his deputy, Travis Head, were offered nearly INR 58 crore ($10 million) a year to feature in the T20 Leagues around the world full time including the Indian Premier League (IPL) as it brings the fear of several early retirements. 

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that an IPL side made the offer this year, to which both Cummins and Travis Head rejected the offer as they cited their commitment to the national side. But the news of offers was discussed between Cricket Australia (CA), the state associations, and the players’ union as they look to privatize their franchise T20 leagues.

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The top Australian players currently earn $1.5 million a year from their national contracts, while for Cummins, the price is $3 million due to his leadership responsibilities. The money from the BBL would increase the player salaries, which would also link the T20 league into a growing network globally.

Pat Cummins and Travis Head reject $10M to leave Australia for T20 leagues

Cummins’ auction value for the Sunrisers Hyderabad last year was around $3.7 million, while Head grabbed $1.2 million at the same team. The latter revealed his views on his SRH teammate, Heinrich Klassen’s decision to retire from international cricket and feature in franchise cricket only.

“I spent a lot of time with Klaasen over a period of time while he was making decisions. I don't think there's any written rule on what you should or shouldn't play or what you should or shouldn't give up. There's an idea of what people should think, and what they should do. Playing international cricket is the pinnacle. A lot of people hold it so high in regard, but some people don't.” Head expressed.

“What's happening in the world at the moment is people have opportunities to make those decisions, which we've never had [before]. So it's hard to knock someone who is making a decision in their own personal state and trying to get job satisfaction. Fair play.” The left-handed batter addressed.