Indian tour 2023: Travis Head says he will bat anywhere that gets him in the side
Australia's stars have reached out to check on their captain Pat Cummins after his dash home to be with his ill mother.
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Makeshift opener Travis Head says that he is not expecting to be at the top of the order in this year’s Ashes, but after the shock of being dropped for the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy he will bat anywhere, anytime.
“Honestly, after missing out in the first Test, I’d bat anywhere that the team needed me to get a game, so I’ve always said that,” he said.
“I didn’t come here expecting to be opening the batting last inning, but, whether it’s opening the batting, coming in at five, I’ve got to find a way at both of them if needed for the team. So I’ll put my head down, stick me butt out and try and do the best I can for the team.”
The chances of Head being asked to do the same in the Ashes are next-to-none, but he was propelled up the order for the second innings in Delhi and had a great last hour on the second day.
The South Australian captain belted a quick fire 39 and was dismissed after adding just one more boundary the next morning.
The aggressive middle order batter was roped into the role after David Warner was subbed out of the game with concussion. The veteran opener is now in Australia so Head is expected to fill in.
Pat Cummins has also returned to be with his terminally ill mother and Head said the whole team sympathised with his situation.
“Yeah, we’re a close group so a lot of the guys have reached out to him,” he said. “It’s a hard period for him and he’s got the full support of all of us. He’s got a lot of close friends here. The limited conversations that we’ve all had probably with him, it’s always a hard moment.
“We fully expect him to be at home. Life’s a bigger thing than cricket. It’s more important for him to be at home than be here. We truck on and find ways as a team to support him and to get on with the job.”
Head admitted that being dropped from the first Test was a shock and that the conversations with selectors when it happened had been a little strained.
“It was something that I didn’t expect coming here, sometimes that happens,” he said. “I thought the way I was able to go through that week and prepare myself to be ready for another chance, it was nice to get the next opportunity. Now it’s about making the most of that.
“The conversations were robust. Everyone has different opinions. I respect the coaching staff and selectors and I have a really strong relationship with them. I think that’s what made the conversations the way they went, because there’s respect that goes both ways and we were able to voice our opinions.
“I woke up the next morning and im still on tour playing for Australia, I still get to do what I love to do. I’d love to be competing and playing but there’s another way I can support the guys the best I could and prepare the best way I could for another opportunity. I still feel like im in a great space. It’s just one week that didn’t go my way. “
AUSSIE LEGEND’S SAVAGE TAKE ON SWEEP DISASTER
Robert Craddock
An Australian legend who conquered India on their turf has revealed he refuses to teach children the sweep shot that has caused mayhem on the current tour.
Batting great Doug Walters, part of Australia’s famous 3-1 series win in India in 1969-70, averaged 40 on that successful tour without using the sweep shot which cost six Australians their wickets in Australia’s spiral to doom in the second Test in Delhi on Sunday.
The 1969-70 rubber – and the 2004 triumph – were Australia’s only series wins in India in 53 years.
“I refuse to teach it to kids because I believe it’s the most dangerous shot in cricket,’’ Walters told News Corp.
“The second most dangerous shot is the reverse sweep and the next most dangerous one is the ramp shot. There is not an umpire in the world who won’t give you out lbw if you miss a sweep and more so now that there is DRS.
“I shiver when I watch Alex Carey bat. Does he play other shots apart from the sweep and the reverse sweep?’’
Rated by Ian Chappell as the best player of off-spin he has seen, Walters said he played only two sweep shots in his career and they were balls directed well wide of leg-stump.
The 1969-70 series was tense on and off the field with three matches disturbed by crowds including a riot in Mumbai, stone-throwing in Bangalore and a crowd invasion in Calcutta.
When Bill Lawry’s team beat India on that tour, international cricket was a much different place to what it was today. Now India is the wealthiest cricket country in the world and basically get what it wants. Back then it was cash poor.
“I remember when we went to India they saved money by putting us in some very ordinary hotels,’’ Walters said. “Once when we were hungry we went to the hotel kitchen and opened the fridge door and two cats jumped out.
“There were times when we could have caught planes when we caught buses and trains.’’
India was a dry country during the 1969 tour so the Australians often had to fill out special forms to be given mermission to get a drink.
“There was no bottled water. We drank coke and cleaned our teeth in soda water. You could buy a bottle of Black Label Johnny Walker whiskey for two dollars from the Australian embassy and drink it in the rooms where you could go with a permit.
“We drank a fair bit of beer. Swan and Fosters sent us over some supplies but quite a bit of it got stolen on the wharves.’’
AGAR JOINS AUSSIE EXODUS AFTER TEST SNUB
Ben Horne
Ashton Agar’s Test career appears over after he joined the exodus of players from India.
The left-arm spinner was viewed as the most likely partner for Nathan Lyon in India after ending his Test hiatus by being recalled for the SCG Test last month.
But Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann have instead debuted in Nagpur and Delhi in a sign of how far Agar has fallen down the spin pecking order.
Former captain Mark Taylor believes the signs are grim for the player who made his debut in the 2013 Ashes.
“I’m not sure what future he has left,” Taylor told Wide World of Sports. “If they’re not picking him in India, I’m not sure how they can pick him again.”
“He’s been around for a long time now … he’s not a spring chicken.”
However, Australia’s Chief selector Tony Dodemaide insist the door remains open for Agar who will fly back to India for the three ODIs after the Test series.
“Ashton worked incredibly hard when he was here, he’s done his absolute best to support the team,” Dodemaide said. “We acknowledge all the work he has done here, he has worked his back side off.
“Ashton will be named in the one day squad tomorrow, so there is an opportunity for Ashton to get some valuable game time, WA play a match this weekend against Tasmania and have a guaranteed final at the WACA after that.”
Agar has been eclipsed by the performance of Murphy who took seven wickets in the first Test and Kuhnemann who was impressive in the second.
Dodemaide laid out the player movements and gave an update on injuries to Josh Hazlewood and David Warner on Wednesday.
“Hazlewood is already home, his Achilles injury hasn’t responded, he is clearly not going to be right for the remainder of this Test, we are also going to park him for the one day series as well and make the winter tours to the UK as the absolute priority there,” he said.
“Davey Warner is going out this morning with his elbow, that’s not going to be right so he is going to rehab there and be available for the one day series (squad) to be announced tomorrow.
“With the structure of our squad and Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc coming back it gives us an opportunity for different options for team structure.”
Leg spinner Mitchell Swepson is flying back to India after being unavailable for selection in the second Test because he went home to attend the birth of his child.
Captain Pat Cummins has also flown home to attend to a family illness but is planning to return.
“The other question mark is Lance Morris who will stay with us, he has not played with us for some time but he will remain with us as cover subject to Pat’s movements,” Dodemaide said.
“As Pat comes back we reassess what we need for the third Test of the fourth Test. It would be great to give him some match opportunity at some stage, but for the time being he will remain with us just as cover.”
The selectors say the chance of drawing the series they trail 2-0 and guaranteeing the team’s place in the Test Match Championship are their focus.
“We are worried about what we can get out of the remaining two Tests,” Dodemaide said. “That’s the clear focus for us at the moment.
“We will address the Ashes planning as and when, but we are committed to picking the best fit and available players for something as big as the Ashes.
“That’s not a question we have addressed so far, we are very, very keen at the moment, as I’m sure everyone at home is, to get something out of this remaining series.
“We can still draw the series. It’s a tough ask in order to do that, but also for the World Test Championship we are desperate to get a result out of these last two games.”
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