Legendary Ian Chappell has issued a warning to Australia if they are thinking of opening the innings with Travis Head. While Head has savored great success in the white-ball formats as an opener, Chappell said opening in the red-ball version is a different ball game altogether.
Meanwhile, Head has an impeccable record while playing against India and has delivered the goods in all three formats.
The left-hander has played 10 Test matches against India, in which he has scored 715 runs at an average of 42.05. Head also scored a match-winning knock of 163 runs in the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval.
Furthermore, Head has scored 343 runs in nine ODIs at an average of 43.12 against India. The southpaw scored another match-winning knock of 137 runs in the ODI World Cup final against India at Ahmedabad.
After David Warner’s retirement, Steve Smith has opened the innings for Australia but he has managed only 171 runs in four Test matches at an average of 28.50. Ergo, Australia is exploring new opening options but Chappell feels Head is not the answer to their opening’s woes.
Chappell wrote for ESPN Cricinfo, “Head opening in Test cricket is based on his unbridled success facing the new ball in both 50-over and T20 cricket. There’s no doubt Head, with his ultra-aggressive style, is the ideal player to open in the two short forms of the game. However, Test cricket is an entirely different proposition.”
He added, “Head’s promotion to open in Test cricket should be seen as either an extremely desperate ploy or an extraordinarily adventurous move. The desperation involves Head’s penchant for adopting an all-out-attack approach, which can unravel in a Test match. The adventurous part involves his aggression unsettling the opposition field placings and thus creating an advantage for his own team.”
Chappell reckons it won’t be easy for Travis Head to open the innings against a world-class bowler like Jasprit Bumrah.
Chappell concluded, “Any move to open with Head that is designed to unsettle Jasprit Bumrah is asking a lot of the batter. Bumrah, and to a lesser extent Mohammad Siraj, are unlikely to be battered into altering their attacking mentality.”
The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.
