"I've got no favourite position...": Travis Head as race for next Australian opener heats up

 As debates on the team's next opener rages, Australian batter Travis Head said that he is open to batting anywhere wherever the team needs him and is open to playing anywhere "from number one to nine." The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kickstart from November 22 with the first Test at Perth. With Steve Smith returning to number four after a mixed outing as an opener and all-rounder Cameron Green ruled out of the Test summer due to back issues for which he has opted to undergo a surgery, Australia could see a new opening partner for Usman Khawaja, be it Head or all-rounder Mitchell Marsh from within the team or anyone from trio of Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw, who have been scoring well in domestic cricket.

Speaking as quoted by cricket.com.au Head said, "I think it is going to be an old-fashioned bat-off (the BGT series) and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks over the next couple of weeks. From my side of things, I have got no favourite position. I have only got a position that is best for the team and what the team needs from me. I could not care less if I bat (anywhere) from one to seven, if I bat at nine, I do not care. I have said that in the past, I just want to play in the Australian cricket team and any position in the Australian cricket team you take."

Head is one of the contenders to take the opening spot due to the success he has witnessed as one in white-ball cricket. His opening contributions in Tests have been decent, making 223 runs in five Tests and five innings with a fifty to his name.

With Head set to miss the upcoming ODI series of three matches against Pakistan starting from November 4 due to paternity leave, Head said that he will make his decisions around his family more and it is his teammates and family who drive him to play.

"I am not really interested in the individual stuff or where my career might go to, aspirations from an individual perspective. I want to provide for my family, I want to play with my mates and I want to enjoy what I am doing. I think I have done that really well over the last couple of years," Head concluded.

The three-match series will begin on November 4 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will conclude at the Optus Stadium on November 10. Australia is yet to name its squad for the three T20Is that will follow up after the conclusion of the ODI series. Coming to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, after the first Test,

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium's lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest. (ANI)