Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey
Australian middle-order batsman Travis Head has revealed that he held robust discussions with the national team selectors after being dropped from the first Test against India in Nagpur earlier this month. Widely regarded as having been the batter of the Australian summer, Head’s exclusion from the playing XI of the opening game sent shockwaves down the cricketing fraternity.
The southpaw returned to the setup in the second Test in New Delhi and scored a gritty 43 whilst opening the batting in the third innings of the game.
“The conversations were robust, I guess, and everyone has different opinions. But I respect the coaching staff and selectors. I have a really strong relationship with them so think that’s what made the conversations the way they went because there’s respect both ways and we are able to voice our opinions,” Head reflected on the situation post the first game, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.
Head averaged 50.38 with a strike rate of 80.86 in 10 Tests in 2022. He notched a century in the two-match Test series against West Indies and backed it up with three half-centuries against the visiting Proteas soon after. However, a collective score of 91 across five Tests in Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier last year pushed him down the pecking order when the Australians landed in India this month.
“It is something I didn’t expect coming here, but sometimes that happens and thought I was able to go through that week and prepare myself for another chance. Now it’s making the most of that,” Head further added.
The 29-year-old explained that he was pleased with his footwork in the second innings of the Delhi Test and that the outing was a step forward with regards to his overall gameplay in the subcontinent. He believes that he adopted a defence-first approach in Sri Lanka and the fact that it didn’t deliver good results over there has pushed him to take a more positive attitude whilst looking to attack from the offset here in India. It is a method that has helped him succeed in Australia and Head is now hoping for similar results to follow suit in the coming two Tests as well.
The left-hander is set to open the batting in the absence of David Warner in the third Test in Indore beginning from March 1.
