Australian batsman Travis Head has been the most successful batsman in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The middle-order bat has been in fantastic form throughout the series so far and continues to give the Indian bowlers sleepless nights.
While other Australian players struggled against Indian bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Head successfully dealt with the threat with his aggression and skill. Former Australian batsman Greg Chappell has revealed the mantra that has brought success to Travis Head so far.
Chappell feels Head's ability to take on Bumrah and treat him like any other player has given him tremendous success so far. Chappell praised Head's proactive mentality and fearless approach which saw him become the best batsman of the series in the first three Tests.
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Greg Chappell praises the 'brave approach' taken by Travis Head against Jasprit Bumrah
Writing his column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Chappell revealed why Travis Head had success against Jasprit Bumrah when other batsmen struggled. Chappell claimed that Head treated Bumrah like any other player and played him with intent which also disrupted Bumrah's rhythm.
“(Travis) Head's performance against Jasprit Bumrah in this series exemplifies his fearless style. While most batsmen would struggle to survive Bumrah's unorthodox antics, blistering pace and relentless accuracy, Head treated him like a Any other player.”
“By playing with intent and looking to get the better of Bumrah, Head not only nullified his threat, he disrupted his rhythm. His ability to field short deliveries with authority and execute full deliveries with precision has been impressive, underscoring the strides he has made.” He added.
Travis Head's impressive numbers against Jasprit Bumrah
Travis Head has scored 409 runs in three Tests so far at an average of 81.80 with two hundreds and two fifties. Interestingly, he scored all his runs at an impressive strike rate of 94.23.
While Bumrah has picked up 21 wickets in three Tests and has troubled almost all the Australian batsmen so far, he has an average record against Head. The Australian star has scored 83 runs off Bumrah at an average of 91.2 and has been dismissed just twice so far.
Travis Head becomes Australia's next captain? Greg Chappelle responds
Further heaping praise on Travis Head, he called on Greg Chappell to be Australia's next captain after Pat Cummins. He described Head as the most improved batsman across formats over the past three years and claimed that his aggressive style mirrored the Australian style.
“I think Travis (Head) is the most improved batsman in world cricket in the last three years and with him being so, he has been proven favored to be the next Australia captain. In his current form, Travis embodies the Australian way of batting,” the former India coach noted.
Travis Head has played several important at-bats over the past two years. He scored a crushing hundred in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against India to lead Australia to a memorable title win. Head scored a blistering 163 off 174 balls in the final and also won the man of the match award.
The left-hander didn't stop here and slammed a brilliant hundred in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, also against India. He scored 137 off 120 balls in the summit encounter and hit 15 fours and four sixes to lead Australia to victory over the host favourites.