Travis Head

The 29-year-old, currently sitting at No. 4 on the ICC Test batting rankings, is coming off a record-breaking home Test summer, plundering 525 runs at 87.50 ...

4 ranked Test batsman in the world and probably our best batsman in the last 12 months, plus he bowls better than average off-spin. So whether that’s the same for Travis in subcontinent tours, wait and see.” He became the first Australian to finish a home Test summer with 500+ runs and a strike rate of 95+. “I think he (Head) has spoken to the fact he hasn’t been exposed to those conditions a great deal. So I think there are opportunities for players in the XI to play different roles at different times as well. 4 on the ICC Test batting rankings, is coming off a record-breaking home Test summer, plundering 525 runs at 87.50 against the West Indies and South Africa.

Australia has made a massive call at the selection table as they look to win their first series in India s...

"Hard to believe we can drop the No.4-ranked Test batsman in the world and probably our best batsman in the last 12 months, plus he bowls better than average off spin. Let's wait and see - maybe the Aussie selectors are genius's!" [Steve Waugh](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/steve-waugh) equally bemused. "Totally different conditions to Brisbane, I know, but his 90 there was so good. "I can't believe it. He made it look flat even though it wasn't. [First Test, day one](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/australia-india-2023-live-scores-first-test-day-one-highlights-results-latest-updates/81452ea4-b201-4019-bd4a-b51e142324dc) [Staggering Kohli drought exposes 'vital' issue](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/australia-india-first-test-2023-virat-kohli-nagpur-century-drought-mark-taylor-exclusive/bbc1d166-29ad-4aed-b4e7-d6365b4e2da4) [Indian legend hits back at Aussie pitch concerns](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/australia-india-first-test-2023-ravi-shastri-slams-pitch-doctoring-claims/35b6acde-dec8-41f5-938a-2040a15b0267) [Australia](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket) made a massive selection gamble for [the opening Test against India](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/live-scores/india-v-australia-australia-tour-of-india-2023/inau02092023219592) [Matthew Renshaw](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/matt-renshaw), was sent packing for a golden duck. [Travis Head](https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/travis-head), who averaged a tick over 50 in Test cricket in 2022.

Head's replacement fell for a duck, but what does this decision do to his confidence if he's needed later in the series?

In the end, they were right to pick Peter Handscomb as a right-handed horse for the course at No. The horses picked for the course were slow out of the gates early. They knew big runs were needed in India and failed at the first time of asking. It was a dismissal more akin to those inflicted by Stuart Broad in England as opposed to his previous struggles in India. But his ability on fast, bouncy pitches in Australia is nullified significantly on the low, spinning subcontinental tracks. The Nagpur pitch with dry, bare patches outside the left-handers off stump caused Australia's selectors to think long and hard about the number of left-handers they would pick. They have done that consistently with the bowling unit, playing two spinners in four out of five Tests in Asia last year at the cost of leaving out Josh Hazlewood. On far better batting tracks than the one in Nagpur, with the exception of Galle, Head scored just 91 runs at 15.16. They picked Scott Boland for the MCG, albeit they didn't get the flat conditions they felt they needed him for. Play your best players in conditions where they are best set up to succeed and avoid setting players up to fail. This Australian selection panel, comprising chairman George Bailey, coach Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide, has been suggesting for some time that they wanted to be adaptable with the team depending on conditions. But Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul made it look underwhelming with an assured partnership in the final session.

The Australian selectors could face a hot examination after a bold call to drop Travis Head backfired in Nagpur as the visitors were rolled for 177 on day ...

He made it look like it was flat, and it wasn’t. But his mindset and his ability to be able to score quickly, and he’s a good player of spin as well, just speechless.” “To me, he was the player of the summer.

Travis Head has been dropped from the Australia Playing XI in the Nagpur Test, and Matthew Hayden is furious about the same.

It was astonishing to see Peter Handscomb earning a Test comeback in place of Head as the latter had a bumper international summer. Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden expressed disbelief in the commentary box with respect to the axing of Travis Head from the Playing XI. In the last one year, Head’s S/R has been 2nd best [minimum 500 runs] in the world amongst the middle-order batters in Test cricket. Hayden also pointed out that Head has the ability to score quick runs and can contribute with the bat as well. Head was in great form ahead of the series, and it was a surprising decision to drop him for a match as crucial as the ongoing one. Australia captain Pat Cummins surprised everyone at the toss that Travis Head has been dropped from the Playing XI.

Selectors dropped a bombshell by dumping the world's No.4 Test batter in favour of Peter Handscomb and Matthew Renshaw.

“Travis Head’s record on the subcontinent is poor. “I like the team, it is spin-friendly,” Haddin said. Head also failed in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year after a hot summer at home. He made it look flat even though it wasn’t. “Handscomb is known for being a really good player of spin bowling and has played well in India in the post. It is too early to determine if selectors have made the right call, but the decision is being keenly discussed after a poor start with the bat by the visitors in India.