NEW DELHI: Travis Head‘s stunning 140-run knock powered Australia to a 10-wicket win over India in the second Test in Adelaide and level the five-match series 1-1 in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The knock in Adelaide earned Head his eighth player-of-the-match award in just 51 Tests.
Considered a big match player, Head also received the accolade in both the WTC final and the World Cup final last year, both against India.
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The 30-year-old has enjoyed a lot of success after being allowed to play his natural game.
The official broadcaster of the series shared a video where former cricketers turned commentators shared their game plan on how India should tackle Head.
Cheteshwar Pujara advised India to target Head’s leg side as he has scored majority of his runs on the off-side. Pujara also advised India seamers to bowl short-pitched deliveries to Head, which the Indians did not do much in Adelaide. Pujara wanted Indian pacers to exploit the pace and bounce of the Gabba wicket and keep him on the back foot and after that, target Head’s weakness outside the off-stump, with the ball coming in from an angle to dismiss him caught behind.
Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden said, “Certainly inside the first 30 runs that Travis Head scores there should be some short-pitched bowling. They (India pacers) should say to him ‘we are coming at you short’, have men around the bat, have catches in the deep and say let’s take it on.”
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also advised the Rohit Sharma-led side to bowl short-pitched deliveries and not bowl outside off-stump at all. Harbhajan wanted Indian to bowl the middle stump line with the balls well pitched up in the beginning of Head’s innings and surprise him with bouncers, taking the cover and point fielders out of the equation, things will change then.
Former Indian wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta also lamented India’s less use of the short ball in Adelaide and said the Indian seamers can take advantage of the long boundaries and extra bounce of the Gabba wicket and use the bouncers to negate the Head threat.
Former Indian spinner Piyush Chawla said Head who is a headache for the Indian team, pointed out the Aussie’s weakness against a short-pitched bowl aimed at his chest. Apart from that, Chawla said that Head doesn’t come on the front foot too much and urged the Indian bowlers to tempt him to drive against the moving deliveries and dismiss him caught behind.
The third Test is scheduled to get underway at The Gabba, Brisbane from Saturday.
