Australia's in-form batter Travis Head has become a 'headache' for India as former head coach Ravi Shastri nicknamed him in the commentary box. Head has scored two centuries and one half-century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 already. The Indian captain and bowlers have been blamed for letting Head settle and not attacking him enough. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Akash Deep revealed that the team has a plan to prevent Head from settling at the crease. However, he does not want to release it to the media.
"Jo plan hai wo nahi bata sakte, wo bhi tayyar ho jayenge (We can’t reveal our plans, as they’ll prepare accordingly)," the 28-year-old told the reporters after training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
"As fast bowlers, we will stick to the same deliveries and maintain discipline in our bowling. We will bowl from both over and around the wicket, assess the pitch and conditions, and plan accordingly."
However, Deep revealed part of the plan which will be a short ball barrage. The pacer also said that they have come with particular areas where the left-handed batter is vulnerable and lose his wicket.
"I think Travis Head, in particular, struggles against short balls. We won’t let him settle at the crease. We’ll target specific areas and hope to force him into mistakes, which will create chances for us," he stated.
Deep on how bowling is different in Australia
Deep got his first chance to play in the ongoing Test series at The Gabba. The pacer struggled to get wickets or hone in on his lines. He also talked about the need to be disciplined in these conditions.
"It is a bit difficult. I have played most of my cricket in India. We can bowl shorter lengths there, but here it is a bit of a challenge.
"Sometimes you think you are bowling really well. Jo bhi wicket ya condition ho, as a fast bowler discipline mein rehna kaafi important hota hai (Whatever the conditions or wickets are, as a fast bowler, you need to maintain discipline)," the 28-year-old said.
Deep took three wickets in The Gabba Test. He was more effective on Day 5 and took a couple of wickets. With the bat, he scored 31 runs and shared a crucial partnership with Jasprit Bumrah to save India from facing a follow-on.
