BGT 2024-25: Head brushes off dressing room rift rumours, prepares for Bumrah challenge in Adelaide

Adelaide (The Uttam Hindu): Australian batter Travis Head has dismissed speculation of tension between the struggling Australian batting lineup and their formidable bowling attack as the team gears up for a second Test against India, starting from December 6. He emphasised the importance of collective resilience, pointing to past instances where the team overcame adversity. “(The other batters) are not coming to me for batting tips, that’s for sure. Everyone goes about it in different ways … we’re all supporting each other … we’ll have a chat over the next three or four days, in. The small amount that we have had in the last three or four years, we have played well," Head said in Adelaide on Monday as quoted by The Australian.

Head also addressed rumors of a rift in the Australian dressing room, sparked by comments from pacer Josh Hazlewood after the first Test and said the team remained united and motivated to turn their fortunes around. "We’ve had some challenging times and a couple of challenging Tests last year that we’re able to get ourselves out of ... it’s a group that is well balanced and knows where it’s at. "We didn’t have a very good week. That’s fine. But we have got four more opportunities to do it, we will crack on as we do, as we have done for the last few years. "As a team we’ve been good for a period of time - we had a bad week. Over the last couple of years, there’s a lot of teams that lost the first Test or gone down in the series and brought it back and played really well," he said. With India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah set to lead another fiery pace assault, Head expressed confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back after a crushing defeat in the first Test in Perth. "Jasprit’s going to go down as probably one of the greatest fast bowlers to play the game. I think we’re finding that at the moment, how challenging he can be, and it’s nice to play against that. It’s going to be nice to look back at your career and tell the grandkids that you faced him, so not a bad series to be playing with him," said Head.

Despite Bumrah’s dominance in Perth, Head maintained that the Australian top order was eager to tackle the challenge head-on. "(Bumrah) is so unique, and that’s with any of the bowlers, really. Every (batter) picks up different cues and goes about it in a different way," he added. When asked about Australia’s preparation for the Border-Gavaskar series, Head refused to delve into criticisms, choosing instead to focus on the positives. "I wouldn’t dive into any commentary about preparation. This team is well-prepared, and we’re all supporting each other," he said.

Head noted that the team’s priority would be to improve their batting performances, setting the stage for their bowlers to capitalise on the opportunities. "Knowing that if I can set it up for the big boys, they can knock it down for us," he added. For Australia, the absence of Josh Hazlewood due to injury opens the door for veteran quick Scott Boland or uncapped options Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett. Head backed Boland’s credentials, particularly at the Adelaide Oval, where he has a strong record against South Australia.

The second Test in Adelaide as Australia will look to bkunce back while India, 1-0 up in the series, will be aiming to to tighten their grip.