Australia has dominated the first day of the World Test Championship Final after Travis Head made history in a remarkable innings.
After two years and 69 Test matches, Australia and India were the two teams left to fight for world supremacy in the longest form of the game.
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Sent in on a green top, India pinned Australia down in the first hour, snagging Usman Khawaja for a duck.
But after the slow start, the wicket stopped playing tricks and Australia opened up before losing David Warner for 43 and Marnus Labuschagne for 26.
Usually it would be a Steve Smith rescue mission but instead it was Travis Head who saved the day.
The South Australia became the first man to score a century in a World Test Championship Final, racing to his maiden ton in England off just 106 balls.
It was also his first Test hundred outside of Australia and his first century against India.
Smith on the other hand crawled to his half-century off 144 balls, but the efforts of the pair pushed Australia into the box seat in the clash.
Justin Langer was blown away by Head’s innings.
“The thing that I find most fascinating is that Steve Smith, one of the greatest players of this generation, is playing second fiddle role to Travis Head,” he said.
“I mean that is how well Travis Head is playing here. He is the one who is shining. Steve Smith has faced 160 balls for 57 runs. Travis Head, 105 runs off 114 balls.
“Just goes to show how well Travis Head has gone about his business today.”
Harsha Bhogle quipped: “I suspect Travis Head might be playing first fiddle and second fiddle and Steve Smith is down in the orchestra somewhere.”
Meanwhile, India made a bold decision not to pick the world’s No. 1 ranked Test match bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, a move which several greats believe has already backfired.
1.35am: Aussie freak is playing a different game
Travis Head has brought up his first century on foreign soil, belting a hundred off 106 balls in a spectacular performance.
It’s also the first ever century in a World Test Championship final.
His first overseas hundred and first against India were brought up in an inning that was unlike anything any other player could produce in the Aussie top order.
While Steve Smith toiled his way to a 144-ball 50 at the other end, Head brought up the milestone with a streaky shot over the infield, but history will remember the century rather than the shot that brought it up.
“That’s a brilliant moment for Travis Head,” Matthew Hayden said in commentary.
“An important moment in this ultimate Test.
“He has been challenged. That’s why we love it. He has had conditions that haven’t been naturally in his favour but by gee, he has made some effort here today with an impressive strike rate. Just a tick under 100.
“A really exceptional performance. Here he is, amassing some sort of legacy for himself, Travis Head.”
Head has become one of Australia’s most aggressive and reliable batsmen in recent years.
After going in an out of the Aussie Test side, Head has cemented his place as the Aussie No. 5.
Following a lean trot on the subcontinent in tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year, which ultimately saw Head dropped for the first Test in India in February and March, he came into this match with 760 runs in his last 13 innings, averaging 69.1 with a strike rate of 85.2, including five 50s and a century.
1.19am: Steve Smith finally brings up 50
It’s taken 144 balls but Steve Smith has finally cracked the half century.
But it may just be the appetiser as another milestone looms at the other end …
Although it did also bring up a 150 run partnership between Smith and Travis Head.
12.12am: Aussie freak makes it ‘look like a T20’
Australia have scored 97 runs for the loss of just one wicket, going to tea on day one of the World Test Championship at 3/170.
Travis Head has charged to 60 off 75, while Steve Smith is set but slow on 33 off 102 balls.
Australia will want to go on with it from here.
Justin Langer told Channel 7 he was blown away by Head’s performance.
“It was the Travis Head show,” he said. “It is like having Adam Gilchrist or Rishabh Pant in your team. Great freedom and aggression and he put it right back on the Indian bowlers.
“And Steve Smith playing second fiddle — one the all-time great players is playing second fiddle to Travis Head. He’s making it look like a T20.”
11.49pm: Travis Head hits 50
As Australian fans have become accustomed, Travis Head looks like he’s batting on a different wicket.
While Steve Smith has been struggling to 31 off 75 balls, Head has raced to 52 off 61 balls.
He’s smashed nine fours and has threatened to completely turn the game in Australia’s favour.
It was 3/160 at the end of the 44th over.
11.15pm: Game in the balance
While there haven’t been a lot of updates, it’s been some gripping cricket as the match hangs in the balance.
At 3/125 off 36 overs, Australia only lost Marnus Labuschagne while adding 52 runs, mainly thanks to 32 off 28 balls from Travis Head.
Steve Smith is struggling at the other end on 19 off 57 balls but another wicket now would swing the game in India’s favour.
There’s a lot to play for.
10.18pm: Marnus gone after lunch
Marnus Labuschagne is back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers after lunch with Mohammed Shami bowling an absolute pearler of a ball.
Pitching up, he got a bit of movement back into Labuschagne who played over the top of the ball and was bowled.
“Back-to-back wickets, one before lunch and now one after lunch,” Matthew Hayden said in commentary. “That’s really going to cost Australia here.
“Wonderful piece of bowling. They have gone back in there for lunch and said, ‘right, we’ve got to get the ball fuller. We have to hit the stumps, hit the top of stumps’. And they have done exactly that.”
9.33pm: ‘Good toss to lose’
Both teams wanted to bowl first but Australia may have been the lucky losers of the toss as they look to cash in at The Oval.
Stepping out in an overcast London to a green wicket, it looked like it was going to be a fast bowling paradise but while there’s been some movement, it has not produced the expected fireworks.
Australia struggled to score on the first hour of the day, going to drinks at 1/29 off 12 overs but bounced back in the second hour, scoring 1/44 in 11 overs in the second half of the session.
Just before the break, Matthew Hayden asked was it a “good toss to win or a good toss to lose”.
“I think it might turn out to be a good toss to lose, really,” his co-commentator said at the time. “It’s a tough one, isn’t it, look at the pitch and then think oh, some of us get carried away and not think this is going to change over five days.”
Australia go to the lunch break at 2/73, with Dave Warner’s wicket with five minutes left in the session probably splitting the spoils in the opening session.
But with the sun shining, Australia may like its chances with Marnus Labuschagne moving to 26 and Steve Smith on 2 at the crease.
9.25pm: Warner’s unlucky blow
David Warner needed to get some runs to ensure his SCG retirement plan comes to fruition but he’s become the second wicket to fall.
Warner was looking … well, Warner-esque, with some up and over cut shots, punishing cover drives and looking quite comfortable in the middle.
But on 43 off 60 balls, Warner has been strangled down the leg side, getting a bottom edge which was caught smartly but Srikar Bharat off Shardul Thakur.
8.55pm: Ponting nails it as Australia flip the script
India took a gamble into the World Test Championship final, leaving out one of the greatest bowlers of all-time in Ravichandran Ashwin to go for a four-man pace attack.
And with all the quicks salivating over the green monster of a pitch, both sides would have bowled first.
But as predicted, after a tough first hour, the runs have started coming easier — and Ricky Ponting once again nailed it in commentary.
After the first drinks break of the match, Umesh Yadav was the first change bowler used by India and Ponting said that Yadav would be the quickest of the Indian bowlers.
But he absolutely nailed what would happen next.
“What comes with that is leaking of runs,” Ponting said. “The harder you try to bowl and you can gone for 12 or 14 off the first few overs and the pressure comes back on you. He has to do well here, Umesh Yadav.”
After a single and a four to start his first over, David Warner cashed in during the second over, taking four fours off Yadav.
While it was 21 off his first two overs rather than “12 or 14”, the Aussie legend has nailed it again.
Australia went from 1/29 at drinks to 1/54 in three overs after drinks, releasing the pressure valve and allowing Australia to get the run rate up to 3.30 an over.
Ponting truly is the Nostradamus of the commentary box — hopefully he can predict an enormous Aussie score or another massive David Warner score, like he did on Boxing Day.
8.35pm: Australia get through opening hour
Australia have lost just one wicket but essentially survived the first hour of the World Test Championship final.
At 1/29 off the first 12 overs, Ricky Ponting said that with the amount the ball has been moving: “That first hour has been pretty evenly shared.”
7:47pm: Khawaja goes for a duck
India have held Australia down in the opening four overs of the World Test Championship final, and now they have a reward with Usman Khawaja getting a nick of Mohammed Siraj.
It leaves Australia 1/2 off 3.4 overs.
Khawaja wasn’t convinced he had edged it but Warner confirmed he’d hear the nick.
Ricky Ponting said on Seven: “He (Khawaja) did just leave the bat out there.”
It’s rough on Khawaja who had been arguably the best batsman during the World Test Championship series.
He scored 1608 runs at an average of 69.91 in 16 matches, including six centuries and seven half-centuries.
He was second only in runs to Joe Root’s 1915 runs at 53.19 in 22 matches.
7:35pm: One over down
The first over of the match is done but maybe not the movement expected on such a green wicket.
David Warner face Mohammed Shami and survived with a maiden, although it will be a tough first hour of the match.
7:05pm: India win the toss
That’s not a great start for the Aussies — India have won the toss on the green monster.
Pat Cummins said he would have bowled too but added it wouldn’t make too much of a difference.
We’ll see after the first hour.
But while Australia was as expected, India have left out Ravichandran Ashwin, the ninth most prolific wicket taker in Test cricket history, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja winning the spinners slot.
“It is tough to leave Ashwin out,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma said at the coin toss.
“He has been a matchwinner for us, it is not a great occasion to leave him out, but you have got to do what is best for the team in the given conditions.”
Australian XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon.
Indian XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
6:30pm: ‘Don’t look down’: Test final pitch stuns
Say what you want about the pitches in Australia’s last series against India, it appears the World Test Championship Final is going to have the most English of wickets.
In overcast conditions in London, the pitch appears to be a green monster as you can hardly tell the pitch from the surrounding field in many pics.
But there may be more pitch drama to come after reports that curators have prepared two wickets for the match amid fears of protesters.
The activist group “Just Stop Oil” has been active at sporting events this summer and the ICC has prepared a contingency in case the main wicket cannot be salvaged.
The ICC has updated its playing conditions for the final in case the wicket is damaged or deemed dangerous.
“It’s something we got in the security briefing a couple days ago,” Aussie captain Pat Cummins said.
“I’ve heard that they’re aware of it and kind of keep an eye out. But that’s as much as we’ve heard.
“So hopefully, it doesn’t happen, obviously. But I’ve heard there’s a few different events that have been affected.”
But as yet, it’s hard to imagine which pitch it would be as the pitch is only slightly a different shade of green than the rest of the square.
Generally green pitches and overcast conditions will produce swing bowling, which Australia will enjoy for its quicks including Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Cameron Green.
However, India quicks were just as damaging with their swing bowling during the Border-Gavaskar series, particularly Mohammed Shami, who took 9 wickets at an average of 28.22 in three Tests, while Cummins led the way for Australia with three wickets at 39.65 in two matches.