“Happiness is but a mere episode in the general drama of pain.” - Thomas Hardy
Certainly, it seemed that way for Australia in St. Lucia on Monday. Travis Head provided a brief interlude of joy and hope in the 206-run chase against India, but the damage being caused at the other end was proving to be too difficult to repair with each passing over.
Sometimes the outcome is instantly obvious, and sometimes it’s a tease, but the whole thing is an immersive experience. So, it was here at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in the Super 8 game of Group 1, as two bogeymen came face-to-face until one prevailed.
Head loves batting against India. Last year, the Men in Blue were rocking their ODI World Cup campaign and were seven wickets away from their first ICC title in a decade. Australia was three down for 47 in the final.
But Head was still there. And that was all it needed. He slammed 137 from 120 balls as Australia chased down 240 and quietened the support from the 100,000-strong home crowd.
Just four months prior, he had dashed India’s hopes, this time at the World Test Championship final, with a sparkling 163.
Over in St Lucia, India’s bogeyman was at it again, batting on 75 off 41 with 58 needed from 24 and six wickets in hand. This could quite easily have been the moment reality blinked out like a blown light bulb and segued into a parallel universe — when the Indian fielders all started glancing at each other as if to ask — “are you seeing this? He’s doing it again.”
Travis Head briefly threatened to derail India’s winning momentum with a brilliant half-century, but this time, Jasprit Bumrah had the last laugh and helped The Men in Blue seal a semifinal berth in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. | Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK | THE HINDU
That’s when Head came face to face with Jasprit Bumrah again — he had earlier hit Bumrah for three boundaries in an over in the PowerPlay, but that did not matter now. Master of kaleidoscopic variations, Bumrah’s bowling is the healing touch to India’s hurt. Head was about to find out.
The Aussie opener had done well to adjust to the varying challenges thrown at him by the Indian bowlers, like manoeuvring the ball in the gaps when he was not getting the width to swing his arms.
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However, with the chase seemingly getting sucked into a terminal tailspin, Head had to take on Bumrah’s third over, the 17th of the innings.
He began the over by angling one into the stumps, coming round the wicket to Head, who flat-batted it to deep midwicket. So, on the next ball, the third of the over, when Head tried to make room to hit the ball through the leg-side, Bumrah bowled a dipping off-cutter on leg stump, cramping Head for room. He could only mishit the ball to Rohit Sharma at cover. Game. Set. Match.
At that moment, Australia took one look at its worst nightmare and discovered that it felt as real as ever. Bumrah had won the battle of the bogeymen.
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