Travis Head wasn’t played in the first game that his SRH played in the 2024 Tata IPL but he simply owned the maiden opportunity that came along his way.
On March 27, 2024, the blazing left hander carved a fifty, his maiden of the ongoing edition of the IPL of just 18 deliveries.
Perhaps looking at the brave left hander, one makes perfect sense about what differentiates a good batsman from an impactful one.
Anyone can look good particularly in the wham bam format of the game. But the effective one’s add to the team’s cause!
Travis Head gets his IPL 2024 campaign underway
Severe in the sixth over, in particular, against young- but rising- South African seamer Gerald Coetzee, Head’s butchering of the right armer was so effective that he helped his franchise reach their highest ever power play score in the history of the tournament.
At the end of 6 overs, Head ensured that SRH were 81 without loss.
Twelve of his first nineteen deliveries out in the middle had raced away for a boundary or a boundary plus hit.
At one stage of the game against the Mumbai Indians with SRH far from approaching the tenth over their innings, Travis Head’s individual score read 60 off 21 deliveries.
Assertive on the front foot and brutal on the backfoot, he looked at ease and seemed to align attack with a sense of purpose to the way with batted.
Impactful batting
By the time the seventh over of SRH’s innings was complete, the team had hit as many sixes. Head was responsible for three on his own.
Head was done batting in 15 minutes on the whole but the impact of his knock was felt by a 30,000 plus capacity crowd at Hyderabad.
He pulled, hooked and cut and did all of that in a manner that was cut out to play a hand in a win.
Easy as they come
And what must be said is what a win it really was for Travis Head’s Sunrisers whose manic batting underlined by fanatic hitting cast the sunset over Mumbai Indians’ hopes for a triumph.
But having said all that, what ought to be submitted about Travis Head is that one of his biggest strengths is just how quickly he adapts to the game situation.
The SRH team contended in the aftermath of their massive IPL triumph over Mumbai that to bat aggressively from the word go was indeed part of the team’s plan.
Head is used to stunning us Indians!
That Head who immediately led the way despite having sat out in his franchise’s opening contest is further indication of his no-nonsense character. The kind of cricketer who likes to be away from much talk and B.S. and prefers to simply get on with the act.
His obvious affinity for India and for surprising Indians is etched a notch further by his useful SRH performance a few hours ago. Not too long ago, he helped his team in crushing millions of hearts as the Aussies captured the World Cup right under India’s nose.
Here he’s again. Doing what he does best. And that’s going after the bowlers. As always, without much ado and with a sense of impact.