Sydney: Travis Head feels that the battle between the Australian fast bowlers and Virat Kohli will be an exciting one, while maintaining that the Indian is also ‘human’ and ‘can be put under pressure’.
Head, who is likely to bat in the middle order in the first Test at Adelaide Oval beginning December 6, counted on the Australian pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to do the job for the team against Kohli.
“I don’t think I have to bowl to him (Virat), which is good,” Head joked. “Hopefully the boys get it under control. I think facing the three big quicks ... I know how hard a work it is. If they can put him under enough pressure, everybody in the world is a person, a human.
“So we know he is a good player but I think we have got good bowlers to do this job. We are one of the best bowling units in the world, so it is going to be an exciting battle and hopefully we’ll come out on top,” he said.
The 24-year-old plays for South Australia, and will be playing at his home ground if he makes the XI for the first Test and reckons the Oval will have a “good all-round wicket”.
“I think it has been a new-ball wicket,” Head said. “Batters have got in once the ball has got little bit older. Guys have scored runs and it has spun, so wicket’s done everything really well.”
The last time Australia and India met at the venue was for the first Test of the 2014-15 tour, a game remembered for Kohli’s two centuries and Nathan Lyon’s 12 wickets as Australia won a closely-fought contest by 48 runs, an ICC report today said.
“The last time we were here, Lyon took a lot of wickets on day five. So it has spun quite a bit,” he said.
“I think it will be a good wicket all around. Hopefully it’s got a lot of pace in it. As the Shield season has gone on here, wickets have become quicker. So it will be a really good wicket for bat and ball and it will be a really good contest,” Head said.
And while Lyon will hope to spin it past the Indian batsmen, India have Ravichandran Ashwin, the No.7 on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for bowlers.
With Australia likely to feature several left-handers in their line-up – Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, the uncapped Marcus Harris to name a few – the off-spin of Ashwin could be a threat.
Head, however, trusts the batsmen to play the off-spinner well and turned to state teammate Harry Nielsen, who scored a century against Ashwin and company in the tour game, for some help.
“I have played a little bit against Ashwin. I have played a couple of times in the IPL,” Head recalled. “I think we have got batters to play him well.”
“Harry played well against him yesterday, so we he gets home from the plane I will have a word with him. But I think it’s the case with anything ... if we had six right-handers and Ravindra Jadeja played. So he’s a world-class bowler but I think we have got some world-class batters as well. It will be a good contest,” he added. (UNI)
