Australia’s explosive batter Travis Head has fired a pitch warning ahead of the 1st Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia. The series opener is being held on one of the bounciest pitches as the batters will be welcomed at the green top wicket of the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22. Head was reminded of the time when he was caught at the third man in both innings the last time India played Australia at Perth in 2018. Head said that parts of Perth’s wickets could be terrifying, and it will be a big challenge there as a batter.
“I do know that I’ve enjoyed batting here – in parts,” Head, who averages over 40 at the venue and was one run short of a century against West Indies here two summers ago, told the Unplayable Podcast. “There are parts of this wicket that can be terrifying, simple as that. I think everyone’s talked about that. Depending on where the wicket goes to on day three, four and five, it can be challenging.”
The challenge of Perth wicket
Even star batter Virat Kohli ranked his Perth hundred as his best knock in Australia over his twin hundreds in Adelaide because of the sheer challenge the wicket posed.
Head is returning from paternity leave as his wife Jess gave birth to their second child earlier this month. Head managed to participate in a solitary Sheffield Shield match, where he scored 30 and 10, and also saw him sit out the home limited-overs series against Pakistan.
To prepare for the barrage of bouncers he faced during last year’s Ashes, Travis Head practised with softer yellow indoor cricket balls in the nets, aimed at his body and head. The light-hearted joke during these sessions was that Head didn’t even need pads, as almost every delivery targeted the shorter half of the pitch.
“I knew they were going to bowl short balls”
“I did it a lot in England,” Head said. “I don’t think I had a net session pretty much after the first Test that I faced cricket balls. I just faced yellow balls because I knew that (short balls) were all they were going to bowl me.
“When you’re going through a long series, and I guess I was the one that copped it the most of that series, I thought I’d have a bit of a laugh and go to training without my pads – so that may come out again.
“I don’t want a broken finger but I want to train it. It’s not enjoyable to train and it’s hard to do and visibility and wickets (makes it) not as (easy to bat against) as the centre.
