Pat Cummins explains Travis Head's 'in the hole' celebration after Rishabh Pant's wicket: 'He thinks it's very funny'

The Indian batting order crumbled on Day 5 of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match, gifting Australia a 2-1 lead in the ongoing series. After all the hard work put in by Jasprit Bumrah throughout the second innings and Nitish Kumar Reddy's maiden ton in the first, the Indian top-order needed to step up. However, defending a target of 340 runs, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland had other plans. First, Cummins removed Rohit Sharma for nine runs off 40 balls, as the Indian skipper ended up outside edging his delivery to third slip for a catch. Then Cummins struck again in the final delivery of the same over to dismiss KL Rahul for a five-ball duck.

Coming in to bat in his usual no. 4 position, Virat Kohli was expected to restabilise the innings with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who, at the other end, was single-handedly keeping the Indian fight alive. But Kohli too failed to make an impact, departing for five off 29 balls as he outside edged Mitchell Starc to the left of first slip for a low catch and India stood at 33/3. After Rishabh Pant (30), the challenge ended for India, despite Jaiswal braving it alone at the other end. Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy departed for single-digit scores. Then, even Jaiswal lost his wicket to Cummins, registering 84 off 208 balls in a valiant effort. Akash Deep managed seven off 17 balls, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj failed to add a single run to the scoreboard. Washington Sundar (5*) remained unbeaten as India folded for 155, losing by 184 runs.

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Travis Head's celebration deciphered

A big turning point in the match was after the tea break when Cummins handed the ball to Travis Head, which turned out to be the right move. He tossed a short-pitched ball, tempting Pant to go for a big pull shot. He mistimed it, and the ball lobbed high to long-on for a catch. The wicket triggered India's downfall, as they lost seven wickets for only 34 runs in the final session. Head's celebration also caught everyone's attention, as he pointed his finger to his other palm, which was shaped like a hole.

After the match, Aussie captain Cummins was asked about the meaning behind Head's bizarre celebration and he was left blushing in embarrassment. Cummins also went on to explain the reason behind his gesture. In discussion with his team's media manager, Cummins asked him to describe the celebration as he didn't see it. The media manager declined from showing it and then went on to say, "In the hole, as in hole in one."

Cummins explained, "Oh, sorry! Yes, okay! I can explain that. His finger is so hot, that he is going to put it in a cup of ice. Yes, that’s what it is. That’s normally the running joke. Was it at the Gabba or somewhere, where he got a wicket as well and just got straight to the fridge, grabs a bucket of ice, puts his finger in and just walks in front of Lyno (Nathan Lyon). Just like that, thinks its very funny. So that’s what it would have been, nothing else."

The fifth and final Test is scheduled to begin on January 3, in Sydney. For India, it will be about ending the series as a draw. India's batting struggles have been the main reason behind their downfall after the Perth Test. They will be hoping to resolve their issues and end the series on a strong note.