This is how India will get Travis Head out in Brisbane: A data-driven plan for Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj
With India still left wondering how to dismiss Travis Head, the batter's stats against the short ball might be scrutinised more closely at the Gabba.
Travis Head continues to be a constant thorn in India's flesh, plundering runs at will against them in recent times like no other - he has scored the most runs against India across formats since the start of 2023. He carried the same form into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Head’s near-run-a-ball 140 at his home ground of the Adelaide Oval in a player-of-the-match effort helped Australia seal a series-equalising victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Head’s century is his third high-profile score against India in the last eighteen months, following his match-winning knocks in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals in 2023. Head is currently the top-scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 240 runs.
With Head making a habit of scoring big against India, it is imperative for Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir to come up with a gameplan to stop the left-hander's march. The question is how? India would not a repeat of Adelaide in Brisbane.
Head has looked sketchy against deliveries on the fourth and fifth stump early in his innings regularly, playing and missing within his first 10 deliveries as he flirts with danger. However, it has proven to be a plan that Head’s strong off-side game means he can counter-attack against and get his innings going, which has been the case in Adelaide as well as during his 89 in Perth.
The bouncer method
One criticism Indian bowlers received was not bowling enough threatening bouncers to Head, especially early in his innings, which has proven to be a successful tactic against him in the past. Data from the Adelaide century shows that India only bowled 5 out of 141 deliveries short and at Head’s body, which is his most vulnerable area in Test cricket.
Head does average 55.5 against the short ball, meaning he isn’t exactly a walking wicket against bouncers. However, as per data from CricViz, Head averages just over 20 against short deliveries bowled down leg or at his body. However, this number rises to 83.5 when he has some room. It goes up to 173 when it is wide outside off. India’s bowlers did pitch it short, 34 times in total, but were often too wide against Head in their bowling effort against the mercurial Aussie batter, not only failing to threaten with wickets but also giving him an easy run-scoring option.
A third tactic India might use to stem run-scoring, if not actively hunt for wickets, is to look for yorkers against Head, which dismissed him in Adelaide and also was used by Shamar Joseph in West Indies’ famous Gabba win earlier this year. It’s a high-risk, high-reward delivery, but it is the sort of thing India will need to use, especially if Head gets going once again in Brisbane.
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