Ian Chappell warns Australia not to use Travis Head as opener in BGT

In the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins on November 22, former cricketer Ian Chappell recommended Australia against starting Travis Head as the opener. Steve Smith was elevated to open after David Warner left Test cricket, but the seasoned batsman failed to make an impression. Since then, there have been discussions about using a different starting lineup against India. Head, who has outstanding records against the team captained by Rohit Sharma, has been at the forefront of all talks, but Chappell believes that’s not a smart approach.

Chappell pointed out that the side performed well in ODIs and T20Is because to Head’s extremely aggressive style, but he also emphasized that Test cricket is highly different. The eighty-one-year-old thinks that if Head opens, it will be because of Australia’s altered strategy, which calls for them to play aggressively from the outset. With players like Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, though, Chappell is skeptical that this approach will work.

The foundation of his unrestrained success against the new ball in 50-over and T20 cricket is his Travis Head opening position in Test cricket.

With his extremely aggressive style, Head is without a doubt the best player to start in the two short forms of the game. Nonetheless, Chappell stated in his column that “Test cricket is a whole different proposition.”

It would be asking too much of the batter to open with Head in an attempt to disturb Jasprit Bumrah. He stated, “It is unlikely that Bumrah and, to a lesser extent, Mohammad Siraj, will be intimidated into changing their attacking mindset.

He added that if there are already runs on board, Head might prove to be useful. In his opinion, it will let the cricket player to adjust quickly and perform with less pressure when facing someone like Ravichandran Ashwin. But he also said that if Head plays aggressively, even the Indian off-spinner won’t freak out.

“An opponent’s overly aggressive approach is unlikely to frighten the cunning R Ashwin.

Also Read: ‘I’m a huge fan of Mohammad Shami’- Harbhajan Singh ahead of BGT 2024-25

One could argue that if Head bats first, he would feel more at ease against Ashwin when there are some runs on the board. But, a cunning opponent captain can use the offspinner with a relatively new ball, according to Chappell.