Australia batter Travis Head has explained his unusual celebration after dismissing Rishabh Pant in the Boxing Day Test, stating it signifies “finger on the ice,” a quirky gesture that he first showed during the tour of Sri Lanka.

After batting through an entire session, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant appeared poised to guide India to a draw on the final day of the Boxing Day Test.

However, Head turned the game on its head by dismissing Pant, which triggered a dramatic Indian collapse and paved the way for a 184-run Australian victory, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Pant mistimed a pull shot and was caught at long-on, after which Head celebrated the moment with his distinctive gesture of folding the fingers of his left hand into a circle and dipping the forefinger of his right hand into it.

“Finger on the ice. I started in Sri Lanka. I put my finger on the ice and be ready to go for the next one,” Head told ‘Triple M Radio’ after the Melbourne Test.

“I didn’t expect to be bowling. I thought Galle would be my next bowling. I’ll go put it down in a little cup of ice, be ready to go up there next,” he added, referring to Australia’s upcoming tour of the island nation.

Head’s celebration quickly gained attention and went viral on social media. After the match, Australian captain Pat Cummins was asked about it and he offered a lighthearted explanation.

“I can explain it. It’s his finger so hot he’s got to put in a cup of ice. Yeah that’s what it is,” Cummins told reporters.

“So, that’s normally the running joke. It was in the Gabba or somewhere he got a wicket as well and just 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 (he) thinks it’s very funny.

“So that’s what it would have been, nothing else.” However, Head’s celebration didn’t sit well with former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, who demanded “stringent action” against the Australian player, calling it “obnoxious”.

“Travis head’s obnoxious behaviour during the course of the Melbourne test doesn’t auger well for for the gentleman’s game…sets the worst possible example when there are kids, women , young & old watching the game.

“…this caustic conduct did not insult an individual but a nation of 1.5 billion Indians…stringent punishment that would serve a deterrent for the future generations needs to be slapped on him so that no one dares follow suit !!!” Sidhu posted on X.

The two teams will play the pivotal final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting January 3.