For all the ballyhoo created around the nature of the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium ahead of the ongoing first Test match between India and Australia, the visitors ended up losing a couple of wickets against Indian fast bowlers.
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The same would’ve been the last thing in Australia captain Pat Cummins’ mind after he won the toss and chose to bat in the first of a four-match Border-Gavakar Trophy 2023.
India’s new-ball bowlers in Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami sent back Australian opening batters namely Usman Khawaja (1) and David Warner (1) respectively in consecutive overs to not only shun the opposition but also some of their experts and fans who were unnecessarily ranting about the pitch even before the start of the match.
Although Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith have steadied the Australian innings to some extent managing to not lose another wicket in the first 90 minutes, the two right-handed batters will have to resume normal services as per their reputation if they are to post a mammoth first-innings total at a venue which has never allowed a team to seal a run-chase in the fourth innings.
Why is Travis Head not playing today vs India?
A primary reason why there is an additional onus on Labuschagne and Smith is the astonishing absence of Travis Head. Australia leaving out not only one of their consistent performers in the last 12 months but also the No. 4 ranked Test batter wasn’t anticipated by anyone and doubtlessly outperformed the shocker presented by India by not playing Shubman Gill.
While Cummins wasn’t asked about the rationale behind the move, it could be for one of these two reasons. With Warner, Khawaja and wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey already being three left-handed batters in the Australia Playing XI, their team management probably dropped Head to include a fourth specialist right-handed batter in Peter Handscomb (playing a Test match after four years).
Notwithstanding Head’s extraordinary form (mostly at home), Australia could also have left him out because of substandard Test record in Asia. For the unversed, the 29-year old player has scored just 213 runs across 11 Test innings in the continent at a below par average of 21.30 which includes him crossing the 50-run mark only once.
Head, who offers more than a handy brand of off-spin, should be making Cummins and co feel his absence especially with Cameron Green not available as a fifth bowling option. As a result, one might see the likes of Labuschagne and Matthew Renshaw roll their arms as a compensation for Head.
