Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has hit out at Australia’s decision to drop Travis Head from the starting line-up in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Head has been dropped for the Nagpur Test with Peter Handscomb replacing him in the line-up.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 9, 2023 10:59 IST
Waugh says Australia’s decision is hard to believe (AP/PTI)
By India Today Web Desk: Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has hit out at Australia’s decision to drop Travis Head from the starting line-up in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Head has been dropped for the Nagpur Test with Peter Handscomb replacing him in the line-up.
Head, who is the number 4 ranked Test batter in the world, has been sensationally dropped by Australia for the opener of the four-match series. Head in coming off a brilliant home series against the West Indies, where he scored 525 runs at a staggering average of 87.50, becoming the first Australian batter to finish a home Test summer with over 500 runs and a strike rate above 95.
Speaking about Head being dropped, Waugh took to Twitter to say that it is hard to believe that Australia have dropped their best batter in the last 12 months.
“Hard to believe we can drop the number 4 ranked test batsman in the world and probably our best batsman in the last 12 months plus he bowls better than average off spin – let’s wait and see-maybe the Aussie selectors are genius’s!,” Waugh posted on his Twitter account.
However, Head’s form in the sub-continent could be a reason from him being dropped from the starting line-up. Head averages just 21.30 in Test in Asia, with recent scores of 14, 36, 8, 23, 26, 11*, 6, 12 and 5 in the continent, while having never scored a century outside of Australia.
India got off a dream start in the first Test of the series in Nagpur with Mohammed Siraj getting rid of Usman Khawaja in the second over, followed by Mohammed Shami cleaning up David Warner in the very next one, leaving the visitors reeling at 2/2 at a point of time.
However, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have managed to settle Australia’s innings, patiently building up a partnership.
