Travis Head smashed a half-century to start the IPL (Photo by NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images)
When Travis Head returned to Australia after his heroics lifted Australia to a remarkable World Cup triumph against the odds, he sheepishly confronted his status as a cult hero back home.
Head’s seemingly endless partying, following Australia’s title, struck a chord with his rather amusing revelry turned into memes and gifs. Some of his compatriots even dressed up as Head, the partyer captured on these viral clips, for Christmas party shenanigans.
He was thrusted into a household name across Australia, but cricket can be a great leveller. Head mostly struggled across the Australian season, with his counterattacking style proving risky as he fell numerously for the ignominy of first ball ducks.
But Head remains a formidable weapon given that he’s a genuine match-winner if his cavalier style of batting comes off. Rabid Indian fans know this too well after Head crushed the dreams of a billion people after Australia’s upset over India in the World Cup final.
Travis Head smashed a century in the World Cup final (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty … [+]
Head returned to India for the first time since the World Cup tour – he subsequently briefly played in a meaningless T20I series against India that underlined cricket’s scheduling woes before an expectedly jaded Head was sent home – for the new season of the Indian Premier League.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad fans were conflicted. When they saw Head at the crease in the team’s opener against Mumbai Indians, they must have felt a bit queasy given he took the country’s soul and stomped on it just a few months earlier.
But once they were shook from the stupor, and realised he was sporting their colors, the faithful had a new hero after Head hit an incredible 62 off 24 balls as Sunrisers smashed the highest score in IPL history of 277 for 3.
It’s true the surface was akin to a road where batters licked their lips as if they were batting against bowling machines. The batting fest is common in T20 cricket, the sport’s souped-up version, where making runs can be as easy as scoring points in the NBA. Mumbai fell just 31 runs short as a new mark for the highest-scoring T20 match in the IPL was made.
But Head’s initial explosiveness can not be overlooked amid the carnage and favorable conditions. He is totally unstoppable when he gets some width outside the off-stump as he relishes scoring through cover and point. Head is the main contender to partner David Warner in Australia’s T20 World Cup team at the upcoming World Cup in the Caribbean and U.S.
Travis Head had a lean Test summer (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
But he hasn’t quite locked down the position with a list of power-hitters breathing down his neck. Australia’s hierarchy have numerous options, but Head’s feats at the World Cup – even though it was in the longer 50-over format – amid a cauldron has given him significant currency.
Performing well in the IPL, however, can seal the deal and restore Head’s confidence. If he can continue to ignite Sunrisers, while becoming a crowd pleaser, Head’s swagger might just return to rekindle those images that made him a national treasure.
