Travis Head Century and a Half vs England Rings 'Date: 19; Jersey: Blue' Bell

Travis Head on Thursday was playing his first One-Day International (ODI) since the 2023 World Cup final against India, and it might as well have been that time froze between the two innings, because the result was no different – only better.The Australian opener followed up his match-winning 137 from November 19, 2023, with an unbeaten 154 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, helping the visitors go 1-0 up against England in the ongoing five-ODI series.Rings a bell? It ought to. The two matches had quite a few similarities, which weren’t lost on Cricket fans, especially Indian. Observers on social media noticed that Head’s back-to-back centuries both came on the 19th of the month, and the opponent team wore a blue kit.As one X user put it, “Travis head starter pack.. Date - 19 Opposition jersey - Blue. Result - Destruction”That wasn’t the only coincidence. Marnus Labuschagne, who scored an unbeaten half-century in the 50-over final, improved on his 110-ball 58* with a 61-ball 77* on Thursday.

Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne chasing down a total against a blue coloured team on 19th day of the month 💀 pic.twitter.com/2KX3xDMFiv

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) September 19, 2024

Earlier on September 19, online fora discussed the similar Ravichandran Ashwin-Ravindra Jadeja partnership that steadied India in their first Test against Bangladesh.However, Head’s century-and-a-half stole their thunder later that night.In India, the player is known for his dominant performances, having handed them defeats in both the World Test Championship (WTC) and World Cup finals last year.However, fans warmed up to him after he put on a spectacle in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and it has only been praises ever since.“Travis Head is going through the purplest of purple patches. He isn't a generational batter like Kohli, Smith or others. But he is just utilising his limitations and ability to 100% currently. Amazing work of batsmanship! Travis Head you are a star,” read a social media post.The South Australian southpaw now has six centuries in 66 ODIs he’s played so far, scoring 2,551 runs at an average of just under 45. Since the beginning of 2022, Travis Head has the highest average in the format (minimum 200 runs scored), an astonishing 63.9.He also has a strike rate of 121.5, which is the second-highest among players with over 1,000 runs.Head has posted both his 150s against the same opposition, England, whom Australia beat by seven wickets, with six overs to spare on Thursday.