Travis Head inspired to continue the attack on India

“We saw that at speed bowling this summer. When I’m chasing the ball, my forefoot defense is probably the best ever and I think I have to go there with a positive attitude, not a defensive one. I think maybe I was a bit defensive in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, you always have a ball over there in your name.

“But get over there, we’ve got a long time to settle in there, get our bearings and understand what my role might be. It could be a low score, it could be a high score, you may need to score big, or a 40, 50, 60 could get you a friendly.”

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Head explained that the combination of a more experienced group, as captured in the recently released Amazon documentary, and clear and simple instructions from captain Pat Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald gave him the confidence to play freely.

“Everything moves forward when you have a group that’s together for the crowd that we have,” Head said. “Things change and evolve and the dynamic evolves and the environment evolves. It’s definitely more relaxed because the guys are more comfortable with each other and are settled in their positions and roles.

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“That happened to me [the SCG] Also test it was go out and just hit. I sensed an opportunity in the low light and rain and who knows what might happen the next day and runs are pretty valuable now.

“They went to a bouncer plan so I thought there was a real opportunity here to score a couple of runs rather than being a sitting duck and potentially getting out. I tried to take that opportunity and I came out and said to the guys, “That’s what I was thinking,” and “Ron.” [McDonald] and ‘Cummo’ were like ‘cute don’t worry happy with it’. But I think that helped us to try later.”

These clear thoughts contrast with the jumble of ideas that swirled around Head’s brain in 2018 in the United Arab Emirates, where he made his Testing debut. Reflecting on that time, Head admitted it took him until 2021 to feel confident his method was robust enough for testing.

“I think I’ve done the work,” he said. “There was definitely a time when I needed to get better at certain things, and I’ve been tinkering with that and working on that and adjusting to certain things. I’ve been in a really solid place technically for a few years now.

“When you bet on your technique and are happy with it and believe it can stand up to international cricket and international standard bowling, you become more relaxed. Then you can go out there and express yourself and play how you want to play.”

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