Travis Head‘s celebration of Rishabh Pant’s wicket in Melbourne did not go down well with former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, who called it “obnoxious”. Travis Head didn’t trouble the scorers much with the bat – he registered scores of 0 and 1 – and yet left a telling impact on the outcome of the fourth Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The left-hander batter Travis Head, who has been one of India’s biggest headaches in the last couple of years, was finally silenced by Jasprit Bumrah. The World’s No.1 bowler got him in both innings of the Boxing Day Test but Head dented India with the ball. The handy off-spinner got the all-important wicket of Rishabh Pant just after Tea on Day 5, triggering a dramatic collapse in which India lost 7 wickets in just over an hour to lose the Test match.
Travis Head’s gesture after dismissing Rishabh Pant got trolled for his obscene action
The echoes of Team India’s defeat in the 4th Test against Australia are going to be heard for a long time. The repeated failures of seniors like Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, and irresponsible batting from young stars like Rishabh Pant resulted in India going 2-1 behind in the 5-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It was Pant’s dismissal that is said to have changed the course of the game in Australia’s favour on Monday. The wicket-keeper’s departure also prompted a strange celebration from Australia star Travis Head, who was credited with Pant’s wicket.
It was a half-tracker from Travis Head that India’s talented keeper-batter Pant hit it straight to the deep mid-wicket fielder. The unexpectedness of the wicket was such that Travis Head celebrated in a never-before-seen manner. He created a hole with his left hand and inserted his right index finger in it multiple times. Needless to say, the celebration raised eyebrows.
After Pant’s (30) dismissal, India lost six more wickets for just 34 runs in the last session to get bowled out for 155 in pursuit of 340 runs. Barring Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) and Pant, none of the Indian batters got going.
Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was left fuming. He called Head’s celebration “obnoxious” and the “worst possible example.” The former India opener-turned-politician said it was an insult to 1.5 billion Indians and called for “stringent punishment” so that such an act would not be repeated on the cricket field.
Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu tears into Travis Head’s celebration in BGT 2024-25 4th Test
Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has demanded punishment for Travis Head’s ‘insulting and obnoxious’ behavior during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The explosive batter brought out a rather unique celebration after dismissing Rishabh Pant in the final session on Day 5 (Monday, December 30), which sparked instant outrage and confusion.
After making the pivotal breakthrough that gave Australia an opening to capitalize on, Head made a gesture with his left hand made into a hollow cylinder, while his right index finger was inserted into it.
The viewers were left puzzled by Head’s celebration, but Navjot Singh Sidhu was left incensed. The former India player opined that the gesture had insulted the entire nation and that action must be taken so that no one ever thinks of repeating such an act.
“Travis head’s obnoxious behavior during the course of the Melbourne Test doesn’t auger well for for the gentleman’s game…… sets the worst possible example when there are kids, women , young & old watching the game…….
This caustic conduct did not insult an individual but a nation of 1.5 billion Indians……stringent punishment that would serve a deterrent for the future generations needs to be slapped on him so that no one dares follow suit,” Navjot Singh Sidhu wrote on his X.
Travis Head’s spell included five overs in which he conceded 14 runs and got the key wicket of Rishabh Pant, who looked set at 30. The part-time bowler was brought on to help Australia catch up with the over rate in the innings.
Australia captain Pat Cummins, however, provided an explanation for Head’s celebration.
“I can explain that. His finger is so hot, that he is going to put it in a cup of ice. Yes, that’s what it is. That’s normally the running joke. Was it at the Gabba or somewhere, where he got a wicket as well and just got straight to the fridge, grabs a bucket of ice, puts his finger in and just walks in front of Lyno (Nathan Lyon). Just like that, I think it’s very funny. So that’s what it would have been, nothing else,”
Channel 7 commentator James Brayshaw explained what Travis Head meant with his gesture, saying it was a throwback to his match-winning spell during the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2022 at Galle. At the time, Travis Head had put a story on Instagram, where he was seen dipping his index finger in a glass of ice after it produced a brilliant four-wicket haul.
“After he took 4-10 in 17 balls in Sri Lanka in 2022, he was quoted as saying, ‘ had to put the digit on ice,'” Brayshaw said on air (via Channel 7).
Australia won the match by 184 runs to go 2-1 up with one match left in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The fifth match starts at Sydney on 5th January 2025 .