How can India restrict Travis Head in the Gabba Test? Gilchrist reveals a plan

Travis Head, grown to be commonly known as a headache among the Indian fans, has troubled India across formats. His latest onslaught came during the crucial pink-ball Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Combined with the devastating spell of Mitchell Starc, Travis Head dealt a 10-wicket blow to the visitors, leaving the BGT scoreline at 1-1 after the first two Tests. Now, with three matches remaining, India needs to revisit several plans, one of them being how to handle the Australian batter who has become a significant hurdle in their trophy-defending campaign Down Under. As India gears up for the Gabba Test, former Australian player Adam Gilchrist has offered a valuable insight that could help the visitors counter Travis Head in Brisbane.

Adam Gilchrisht suggests India to throw short-pitched deliveries at Travis Head

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has expressed surprise that India has not yet attempted to tackle Travis Head with short-ball deliveries. Head emerged as the key reason behind Australia’s dominant win over the visitors in Adelaide. While India secured a 295-run victory in the Perth Test to kick off the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the tables turned completely when the campaign moved to the day-night Test in Adelaide. The contest began with Mitchell Starc dismantling the Indian batting lineup with the pink ball, achieving career-best figures of 6/48 in the first innings. Subsequently, Travis Head delivered a blazing knock of 140 off 141 balls, sealing the 10-wicket defeat that India endured in just the opening session of Day 3.

India now has several areas to address if they are to take the lead against the Aussies. The focus will be on the batting order to improve its first-innings performance. However, to challenge Australia comprehensively, the team also needs to devise a foolproof plan to neutralize Travis Head. With the third BGT Test set to begin at the iconic Gabba on December 14, Gilchrist has suggested a potential strategy to limit Head’s batting prowess.

The former skipper explained that India should experiment with shorter deliveries against the Australian batter. While he acknowledged that Head might score some runs off them, such a tactic could force him into playing risky shots. To support his suggestion, Gilchrist referenced Head’s performance against New Zealand earlier this year. The Kiwis effectively countered Head, restricting him to just 69 runs across two Tests.

"The India-Travis Head match-up is interesting. I can't believe they haven't started with a short-pitch bowling strategy against him and stuck with it. He'll take it on and might score some runs, but I've seen New Zealand use it effectively before. It's about making your plans clear and challenging the batter—forcing him to take risks to escape the pressure,” Adam Gilchrist explained.