Travis Head placed on the same pedestal as Adam Gilchrist in Australia

Former Australian captain and legendary batter Ricky Ponting heaped praise on Travis Head following his match-winning century against India in the Adelaide Test. Ricky Ponting compared Travis Head to the legendary Adam Gilchrist and highlighted the similarities in their aggressive playing styles.

Head scored an aggressive 140-run knock off 141 balls in the first innings of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. The left-handed batter helped Australia take a 157-run lead. The hosts secured a ten-wicket victory against India. Following his knock, Head moved up to No. 5 in the ICC Men’s Test batting rankings.

Travis Head Plays in a Very Similar Way to Adam Gilchrist - Ricky Ponting

Speaking on an episode of the ICC Review, Ricky Ponting recalled how Adam Gilchrist would cause damage to the opposition while batting at No. 6 or 7. Ponting stated that Head plays a similar attacking style, albeit a couple of positions higher in the batting order.

"The obvious one is Gilly. The way that Head plays is in a very similar way to the way that Gilchrist played, albeit a couple of positions higher in the batting order," Ponting said.

"Gilly was a six or seven, and Travis is doing his damage at No.5. I love sitting back and watching him play. It’s quite refreshing to watch guys play that way. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, Travis is going to come out and play the same way, and I love that," he added.

What He's Doing Has Been Spectacular - Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting praised Travis Head for his exceptional performances in crucial moments but stated that it's too early to label him a great. He mentioned that Head delivered for Australia in key matches like the World Cup semi-final, final, World Test Championship, and Ashes when the team needed him most.

"I don't think you can call him a great just yet. That's no knock on what he's doing because what he's doing has been spectacular," Travis Head said in the same interaction.

"And a lot of the times, it's been when his team's needed him the most. Think about the World Cup semi-final, the World Cup final, World Test Championship, Ashes in Australia a couple of years ago. Big moments are when Travis has found a way to stand up," he added.

Travis Head Will Be Next Seen in Action During the Third Test in Brisbane

The South Australian cricketer made his international debut for Australia in January 2016 and has played 51 Tests, 69 ODIs, and 38 T20Is. The left-handed batter registered scores of 11, 89, and 140 runs in the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series between Australia and India.

He also became the first batter to score over 1,000 runs against India across all formats since 2023, with a total of 1,052 runs. Head has scored a century in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final. He will be next seen in action during the third Test, starting on December 14 in Brisbane.

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