Travis Head comes back to form after 'Rohit Sharma enters stadium' in Perth; Harshit Rana's sledge decoded by internet

Travis Head kept the fight alive for Australia in the game after Mohammed Siraj's two early wickets on Day 4 of the first Test reduced the hosts to 79/5. Head, out for 11 in the first innings, slammed 89 off 101 balls before getting dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. At lunch, Head was 63 off 72 runs and continued to build on it in the second session, stitching a fifty-plus partnership with Mitchell Marsh for the sixth wicket – Australia's biggest of the match. From Left: Travis Head, Rohit Sharma and Harshit Rana(Screengrab)

However, fans on the internet couldn't get past the coincidence that Head returned to form on the day Rohit Sharma was in the stadium. The connection between Rohit, Head and the Indian fans goes back to November 19 last year – a date Indian cricket fans don't have fond memories of. Head hasn't had the best of years in Test cricket, coming into the Perth Test with scores of double ducks against West Indies, 1, 29, 21 and 18. But the fact that he is scoring runs in the same way as he did in the World Cup final has not impressed the onlookers.

Rohit was inside the Indian change room, sitting next to head coach Gautam Gambhir. The Indian captain also had a hit out in the nets, where he batted against the pink ball to get some practice ahead of the second Test, which will be a day-night affair in Adelaide starting December 6.

India had come close to removing Head on Day 3, when Mohammed Siraj appealed for a close LBW shout. While the umpires declared Head not out, the replay showed that the ball would have clipped the leg stump – albeit by the barest of margins. Head made the most of that respite, and scored a half-century off 63 balls, continuing to bat in his attacking instincts.

Harshit Rana's exchange with Travis Head

To get inside Travis's head, India pacer Harshit Rana tried to ruffle him up, having a short exchange with the Australian batter, not once but twice. But while what exactly he said wasn't picked up on the stump mic, fans on the internet came up with their version, one they are very familiar with.

Head is a real thorn in India's eyes, having caused them two major heartbreaks in the last year. He scored a century in the final of the 2023 World Test Championship and then of course, the 50-overs World Cup final as well.

Australia, chasing 534 to win have lost six wickets inside 200 runs.

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