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Cricket World Player of the Week - Travis Head

©CWM / REUTERS

Travis Head's 174-ball 163 proved to be the difference between India and Australia in the final of the World Test championship, played at the Kennington Oval in London last week.

Australia became the only team with World Cup trophies in all the three formats of the game as they beat India comfortably by a big margin of 209 runs in the WTC final, thanks to brilliant centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith.

Put into bat in difficult conditions, Austria were in trouble at 76/3 in their first innings when the two batters joined hands. Smith and Head put on 285 runs for the 4th wicket to wrest the momentum.

Head got to his hundred off 106 balls while Smith took his sweet time to get his ton and also tired out the Indian bowling attack in the process. Head struck 163 runs off 174 balls with 25 fours and a six before Siraj got him caught behind off a short delivery.

Smith made 121 with 19 fours as the pair broke a 111-year-old record for the highest partnership by an Australian pair for any wicket in a neutral Test. Back in 1912, Warren Bardsley and Charles Kellaway had combined for a 242-run partnership for the third wicket against South Africa at Lord’s.

In the process, Smith broke Ricky Ponting’s record of most Test hundreds by an Australian against India and also equalled Joe Root’s tally of most Test centuries versus India.

It was Smith's batting partner, Head, who really took the game away from India with his stroke play. India did try to claw their way back into the game, but after conceding 469 runs in the first innings, on the back of a Head special, they were merely trying to catch their tail.