Cricket
Exclusive: Travis Head on World Cup Glory, IPL Success, and Major League Cricket Adventures
Travis Head, Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup final hero, discusses his recent cricket journey, including his performance in the IPL and Major League Cricket.
Travis Head, Australia's hero in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, has had a busy cricket schedule over the past few months.
After the ODI World Cup in November, he played in a few bilateral series against teams like India, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Next came two intensive months in the Indian Premier League, which led straight into the T20 World Cup 2024. Soon after the T20 World Cup, Head played his first season in Major League Cricket.
A Century to Remember: World Cup Final Heroics
Head has shown remarkable form across the tournaments he's participated in recently, yet the conversation invariably returns to his century in the ODI World Cup final against India last year. More than six months later, that extraordinary performance is still a major talking point in his career.
Amidst a throng of Indian supporters at the world's largest cricket stadium, Head's 95-ball century made him only the seventh batter to score a century in an ODI World Cup final.
Head says that treating the World Cup final as just another match, instead of a do-or-die final, helped him ease the pressure. This approach, he says, allowed him to bat more freely and score a century.
Image Credits: Pankaj Nangia-ICC/ICC via Getty Image
I think the team stayed nice and relaxed in terms of strategy and mindset going into it. I left it to the captain and coach to come up with a strategy, and my mindset was just trying to go out there and play as well as I possibly could.
Travis Head
Mental Toughness and Strategy: Keys to Success
"I think in terms of the big matches, just staying nice and calm and relaxed and knowing that my game was in good order helped. I didn't try to overthink things or worry too much about the scenario or the situation or the things that are riding on it. Just going out and playing another game of cricket was the thought process," Head tells SportsBoom.com.
Elaborating on his mindset leading up to the World Cup final, Head explains that he left the strategizing to the captain and coach, rather than devising any plans himself. He felt that the two days between the semifinal and final provided the team with ample time to develop their strategies and also relax.
"It was nice to play a semi-final and have two days and then play again," Head recalls.
Unbeatable Indian Crowd
India remained unbeaten throughout the ODI World Cup 2023 and were the favourites to win the tournament on their home ground. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad transformed into a sea of blue on the day of the final, a sight that could have intimidated the opposition. When Australia won, the conversation about their mental resilience and why they've won so many World Cups came to the fore once again. Experts widely regard Australia as one of the mentally toughest teams, a trait that many believe helped them overcome India in the final.
Head agrees, pointing out that Australia's ability to handle pressure has been a key to their success over the years.
"The crowd was amazing in Ahmedabad. It was massive. The fixture was massive," he says. "But just knowing that it's just another game and knowing if you rock up with your best performance, especially in that environment where I think a lot of people probably had us as underdogs, is also a nice feeling. We tried to put as much pressure on the opposition as possible and also staying relaxed at the same time helped. It was nice to play in front of a huge crowd and in a big game, but yeah, our team has handled pressure really well over the years," Head observes.
IPL 2024 and Beyond
Head carried his form from the World Cup into the IPL 2024, amassing 567 runs at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 191.55. His contributions helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad post some big totals and reach the final, where they eventually lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders. Instead of dwelling on the loss, Head prefers to focus on the positive, acknowledging that reaching the final itself was quite an accomplishment.
"It was a really nice season for the Sunrisers, we have come a long way from what I understand over the last few years," Head reflects. "We were able to have some really good performances throughout the season and that always can't be the case when you get to the playoffs. Kolkata played extremely well, and a lot of credit goes to them. They were probably the strongest team of the competition. Look, even if performance doesn't go our way, I'd say it was a great achievement being there. A lot of teams would love to swap places with us regardless of the result. It was a really good season for the Sunrisers, and hopefully, it continues."
Embracing the Indian Culture
Head has spent nearly three of the last eight months in India. He mentions that he most enjoyed the overwhelming love from the people in this cricket-obsessed nation and appreciates how well the players and their needs are looked after. He also enjoys visiting the golf courses in the country.
"The most enjoyable thing about India is how friendly everyone is, how well we get looked after, the hotels we stay in," he shares.
"There are some amazing places to eat and see, and there's a couple of really good golf courses to get away. We're very fortunate when we're there to be very well looked after."
"Obviously, the crowds and the venues that we play are outstanding as well, but there's a fair due away from the game as well if we want to or just chill. It's always a great experience being in India", the 30-year-old says from the USA, where he is currently playing for the Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket 2024.
The team has advanced to the final, scheduled for Sunday, and Head has already notched up five consecutive half-centuries in the tournament.
"Love my time over here in the MLC first year. Some nice overseas players for the Washington team but also some guys like Saurabh (Netravalkar) and Andries (Gous), who are the locals that I've really enjoyed meeting and playing with. The first year, it's been great fun," Head signs off.
Umaima Saeed is a professional sports writer whose articles have been featured in several leading websites. She writes long-form content on sports, particularly cricket. She has a penchant for telling human-interest stories. Umaima has contributed articles on cricket to more than a dozen publications, both in print and online.