Abhishek Sharma lauded Travis Head for his explosive innings during the first Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday. Head was promoted to open in Usman Khawaja’s absence and scored 123 off 83 balls to guide his team to a 205-run chase in just 28.2 overs. He hit 16 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 148.19. Sharma, India’s top-ranked T20I batter, shared his admiration on Instagram. He wrote, “When Trav gets going, it looks effortless. A top-class ton and a proper statement.”
Both left-handed batters were retained by their Indian Premier League franchise for the 2026 season, where they are set to open the batting together. Sharma has previously spoken about the understanding and bond between him and Head, noting their similar style while opening. With Khawaja’s fitness still uncertain, Head may continue as an opener for Australia in the next Test.
Head’s 69-ball century on Day 2 was the second-fastest in Ashes history and the joint-third fastest for Australia in Tests. He also completed 4,000 Test runs in his career, with 10 hundreds and 20 fifties. He became the first opener to hit four or more sixes in an Ashes innings.
Australia registered a dominant eight-wicket win over England inside two days. Mitchell Starc took a ten-wicket haul while Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett added key breakthroughs. Marnus Labuschagne scored 51 off 49 balls to support Head in the run chase.
Brief scores: Australia 132 and 205-2 (Travis Head 123, Marnus Labuschagne 51) beat England 172 and 164 (Scott Boland 4-33, Ben Stokes 5-23).
The second Ashes Test begins at The Gabba in Brisbane on December 4.
