Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently retired from all formats after Gabba Test, has finally decoded India nemesis Travis Head’s strategic approach to counter Jasprit Bumrah and the rest of the Indian bowling attack in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ashwin noted how Head used the crease cleverly, altering his stance and footwork to neutralise Bumrah’s pace and other Indian seamer’s variations. This adaptability, combined with fearless stroke play, allowed Head to dominate key phases of the game, showcasing his cricketing acumen against one of the world’s best attacks.
During Wednesday’s session, Ashwin, known for his sharp cricketing brain, noted a compelling detail about Head’s practice routine as the Australian batter readied himself for the upcoming Boxing Day Test match at Melbourne.
Head has consistently posed significant challenges for India throughout the series, delivering crucial performances, including two centuries. His exceptional batting played a decisive role in Australia’s series-equalising win in Adelaide this month. Nevertheless, Head has shown vulnerability against fast bowlers operating from around the wicket, with both Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah successfully exploiting this approach.
Ashwin observed that during Head’s batting practice sessions, he appeared to protect his off-stump, specifically focusing on managing deliveries in the higher off-stump region to counter the round-the-wicket bowling strategy.
“Omg! He is getting to the off stump? Is that the ploy for round the stumps?” Ashwin replied on a video post on X which features Head’s net session.
Australia received welcome news on Wednesday when captain Pat Cummins announced that prolific batter Head would be available for the Boxing Day Test at MCG.
Head, who currently tops the run-scoring charts in the five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, had sustained a quad injury in Brisbane.
The middle-order specialist has accumulated 409 runs across five innings during the series, comprising two centuries and one half-century, with an impressive average of nearly 82.
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