New Delhi: India might try to bounce out Travis Head in the Boxing Day Test that begins from Thursday in Melbourne. The left handed explosive batter has been India’s biggest roadblock in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series so far with two centuries in three matches.
Head had only made 11 runs in the first innings of the series opener at Perth, following it up with 89 in the second innings. Australia lost the Perth game by 295 runs.
But in the day-night match at Adelaide Head turned the match on its head with a 140 that helped Australia square the series 1-1. He carried on that momentum in the third game at Brisbane with a superb 152 as the match ended in a draw due to rain.
Head has been India’s nemesis across formats, scoring match wining ton in the World Test Championship last year (WTC) and then an unbeaten hundred in the ODI World Cup final in an Australian victory.
Asked how India would like to bowl against him in the fourth match of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India pacer Akash Deep they have come up with a plan and hope to execute it efficiently on the field.
“Jo plan hai wo nahi bata sakte, wo bhi tayyar ho jayenge (We can’t reveal our plans, as they’ll prepare accordingly),” the right armer said on Sunday while speaking to reporters.
“As fast bowlers, we will stick to the same deliveries and maintain discipline in our bowling. We will bowl from both over and around the wicket, assess the pitch and conditions, and plan accordingly.
“I think Travis Head, in particular, struggles against short balls. We won’t let him settle at the crease. We’ll target specific areas and hope to force him into mistakes, which will create chances for us,” he stated.
‘New ball holds key’
The right arm pacer added that they would continue to probe for wickets with the new ball, and try to put pressure on the Australian top-order, which is yet to fire in the series.
Australia have dropped Nathan McSweeney for the remaining two matches, after the right hander failed to justify his inclusion in the first three matches. Sam Konstas has been named as his replacement 3ith the 19-year-old likely to make his debut in Melbourne.
Akash said irrespective of the batter, India would aim to strike early with the new ball in order to put the hosts under pressure.
“The plan is the same, because we have played three matches here and we have seen that chances are being created with the new ball. If we take wickets early with the new ball, then it’s a problem for them too,” he said.
Travis Head has been India’s nemesis across formats, scoring match wining ton in the World Test Championship last year and then an unbeaten hundrd in the ODI World Cup final, followed by successive tons in the ongoing BGT series Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
