Australian batter Travis Head has spoken about his heated altercation with Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj during the second day of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Head clarified that the incident, which followed his dismissal, stemmed from a misinterpretation of a comment he made to Siraj.
After reaching a stellar century to put Australia in a dominant position, Head was bowled by Siraj immediately after hitting him for a six. Following the dismissal, Siraj gestured towards the dressing room, which prompted an animated response from Head as he walked off. Head later explained in a press conference that he had jokingly said “well bowled” to Siraj, which might have been misread as sarcasm.
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“I actually jokingly said ‘well bowled,’ then he pointed me to the sheds, and I reacted. It’s not something I’m proud of,” Head admitted. “It probably went a little bit far, and I regret the reaction I gave back. But I’m also going to stand up for myself.”
Head expressed disappointment with the nature of Siraj’s celebration and suggested that this was not the first time he had felt India’s celebrations went overboard. He hinted at a similar experience during the Perth Test, where he was dismissed for 89 in a tense moment.
“I’ve had conversations about this before. I feel like you can play hard and fair, but once you’re out, there’s not much you can do. I’m disappointed with how I reacted, but I’ll always stand up for myself,” he said.
Despite the exchange, Head emphasized that the overall relationship between the Australian and Indian teams remains positive and respectful.
“The relationship between the teams is really good,” he said. “I enjoy competing hard but having a laugh at the same time. Our dressing room has a lot of respect for the opposition, and we hope it’s mutual.”
Head added that he prefers to focus on playing the game with fairness and good spirits. “I’m here to have a good time and play fair. I don’t want to give too much airtime to this, but I think both teams respect each other.”
Also See: India tour of Australia full schedule and match updates
Head’s emphatic century (140 off 141 balls) was pivotal in giving Australia a strong position in the match. By the end of Day 2, India was struggling at 128/5 in their second innings, trailing by 29 runs. Australia is inching closer to securing another pink-ball Test victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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