Head crunches 140 to put Australia in control of 2nd India Test / Photo: William WEST - AFP
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Head crunches 140 to put Australia in control of 2nd India Test
Travis Head blazed a sparkling 140 as Australia seized control of the day-night second Test against India on Saturday, building a 152-run lead by tea on day two at the Adelaide Oval.
It was a typically flamboyant knock from the 30-year-old on his home ground and in front of a big crowd urging him on.
Batting at five, he scored at almost a run a ball, slamming 17 fours and four sixes to propel Australia to 332-8 in reply to India's 180.
Mitchell Starc was not-out 18 with skipper Pat Cummins gone for 12 on the cusp of tea, after Marnus Labuschagne roared back to form with a gritty 64.
Australia are looking to level the five-match series after a crushing 295-run defeat in the opener in Perth.
Four wickets fell in the second session with Mitchell Marsh the first to surrender, feathering to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant on nine off the spin of Ravichandran Ashwin.
Alex Carey made 15 as a bystander to Head before he too got a faint edge to Pant, this time off Mohammed Siraj. Jasprit Bumrah bowled Cummins.
Head adopted his usual aggressive posture from the start, blasting two sixes off Ashwin as he reached his half-century from 63 balls.
He then stepped up the attack, racing to his second 50 off just 48 deliveries to clock an eighth Test ton, riding his luck along the way after being dropped on 76 by Siraj.
With 150 in sight, Head finally succumbed, bowled by a rampaging Siraj with the pair exchanging angry barbs in the aftermath.
The hosts had resumed on 86-1 after weathering a torrid two hours on Friday for the loss of Usman Khawaja.
Three wickets fell in an action-packed opening session, two to Bumrah and one to Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India got an early breakthrough with Nathan McSweeney throwing away the hard work he had put in under lights on Friday, adding just one to his overnight 38 before being beaten by Bumrah's sheer pace, nicking to Pant.
It was the third consecutive time he has fallen to Bumrah after suffering the same fate in Perth last week on debut.
Bumrah and Pant combined to remove Steve Smith (2) four overs later, with the former Australia skipper shaking his head in disbelief after falling into a similar trap.
At the other end, Labuschagne kept his focus, stroking successive boundaries off Harshit Rana as he rediscovered the magic that has eluded him for some time.
He came into the game under pressure and with calls mounting for him to be dropped.
But the tenacious number three, who resumed on 20, silenced the doubters by reaching his 21st Test 50 off a patient 114 balls.
With the landmark behind him he began playing more freely before a brilliant catch from Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully ended his reign and Head took charge.
M.F.Schmitz--JdB
