Head and Smith in overdrive, Australia take Day 1 honours

India left out Ashwin and on a pitch that got better for batting, the bowlers wilted against a 251-run unbeaten stand between Smith and Head on the first day

- ASHISH MAGOTRA

Missing Ashwin. Missing Bumrah. Missing Pant. So much of the first day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval on Wednesday left us yearning for these game-changers. None of them are playing of course, but as Australia piled on the runs through Travis Head and Steve Smith, one couldn't help but wonder if things could have, in some alternate dimension, played out differently.

When Head got going, one thought of R Ashwin and his brilliant record against left-handers. When Umesh Yadav bowled Geoffery Boycott’s version of 'rooobish', the injured Bumrah’s ability to bowl a match-changing spell came to mind. And when KS Bharat seemed to go a little flat behind the stumps, one thought of the ever-chirpy Rishabh Pant.

It was the kind of day to fall back on the ‘what-ifs’ because reality provided no succour. At close of play, Australia had made their way to 327/3, thanks largely to a brilliant unbroken 251-run partnership in just 257 minutes between Head (146* off 156 balls) and Smith (95* off 227).

With a crowd made up largely of Indians in attendance, India started the day well. They won the toss, and in overcast conditions left out Ashwin, brought in Umesh and elected to bowl. When they sent Usman Khawaja back for a duck, their smiles lit up the stadium. The right choice, the right attack and the right result.

But Australia got stuck in. First, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship with a 69-run stand. It kept India’s bowlers at bay during the dangerous time of the day. The ball was moving around and beating the ball quite regularly but in the 108 balls the duo was together, they considerably blunted India’s edge.