The Indian cricket team missed the golden chance to get rid of the dangerous Travis Head, but Mohammed Siraj’s fielding lapse handed the Australian batter a lifeline in the second session of Day 2 of the ongoing Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.
In the 68th over, the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin delivered a slower ball, tempting Travis Head to go for a big slog-sweep. However, the shot doesn’t connect cleanly, resulting in a top edge that sails toward the awkward area between mid-on and long-on.
Travis Head survives as Mohammed Siraj drops key catch in Day-Night Test
Mohammed Siraj, sporting a white floppy hat, sprinted back and dived forward with his hands stretched. The Indian pacer got both hands on the ball but failed to hold on, letting a crucial catch slip away. The Australian crowd erupted in loud cheers as Travis Head got the lifeline to march towards his century.
Well, Team India had another chance to send Head back to the pavilion, but this time, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant left his team, and Harshit Rana disappointed, and the Australian batter got another lifeline in the ongoing Day-Night Test match, raising questions about their sloppy fielding efforts.
Rishabh Pant fails to dive, Harshit Rana left frustrated as Head gets another lifeline in the Adelaide Test
In the 69th over, Harshit Rana delivered a length ball outside off, and Travis Head slashed hard at it, getting a thick outside edge. The ball flew toward the slips, where the Indian captain Rohit Sharma was positioned slightly wider, but it seemed like Rishabh Pant had a better chance to go for the catch.
Rishabh Pant should have dived to his left to catch it, but he didn’t make the effort. Surprisingly, the Indian wicketkeeper avoided diving to his left, even though it was within his reach, although it was tough. His body moved slightly before stopping after watching the ball. This missed opportunity left Harshit Rana disappointed, as the ball raced to the boundary for four runs.
— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) December 7, 2024
— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) December 7, 2024
Pant and Siraj’s blunder proved too costly for Team India, as Travis Head went on to play a quickfire knock of 140 runs off 141 balls studded with massive 17 boundaries and four sixes, powering Australia to over 300 runs on the board before eventually falling to the Indian pacer.
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Mohammed Siraj takes three wickets in Adelaide
Siraj was overexcited after removing Head, as he was one of the accused of handing the first lifeline to the Australian batter, but the damage was already done by the latter, as the hosts have already taken over a 150-run lead in the ongoing Day-Night Test match against India.
Notably, Siraj claimed two wickets for India in the second session, including the crucial dismissal of Head, which was followed by a heated send-off, exchanged words from the Australian batter, and boos from the home crowd at the Adelaide Oval.
The Indian pacer also dismissed Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey for 15 runs off 32 balls and then Mitchell Starc for 18 runs off 15 balls in the ongoing pink-ball Test in Adelaide.