Australia’s in-form batter and India’s nemesis Travis Head handed a health take a look at on Wednesday to retain his place in Australia’s enjoying eleven, which the hosts introduced on the eve of the Boxing Day Take a look at in Melbourne.
Asserting the eleven enjoying members for the match in Melbourne Cricket Floor starting on Thursday, captain Pat Cummins confirmed the 2 anticipated modifications.
“Trav’s good to go, he’ll play,” mentioned the house group’s captain . “He simply kicked off some last issues at this time and yesterday. However no worries about harm with Trav. He’ll go into the sport absolutely match.”
Opener Sam Konstas will make his debut, changing Nathan McSweeney, and pacer Scott Boland returned to the eleven for the injured Josh Hazlewood.
Head suffered a quad pressure throughout the third Take a look at in Brisbane and his health was beneath a cloud, till he handed the health Take a look at held on Thursday throughout the Christmas Day elective coaching session, which included numerous operating drills.
Cummins additionally revealed that Head, the main run-scorer of this collection thus far, additionally had a brief internet session. Nonetheless, the group may need to handle if he feels any discomfort whereas fielding throughout the match.
“I do not suppose you will see an excessive amount of administration of him all through the sport. He simply sort of performs as is. Perhaps round fielding, if he is a bit uncomfortable, we are going to (handle him), however he is absolutely match,” mentioned Cummins.
Head leads the batting charts by a mile, having scored 409 runs in his 5 innings thus far at a mean of 81.80, together with two centuries. The second-placed batter within the record is India’s KL Rahul with 235 runs in six innings.
“It feels just like the final 12 months, he is been on this unbelievable vein of kind and he simply retains happening with it,” mentioned the Aussie pacer. “He is hitting the ball actually cleanly. You possibly can see the stress that he shifts again onto the opposition actually from the primary ball that he walks on the market.
“I am loving that he is in our group and I haven’t got to attempt to set a subject and bowl to him. He is hitting the ball in addition to I’ve ever seen anybody. So lengthy could it proceed.”
With the Border Gavaskar Trophy and a spot within the World Take a look at Championship last at stake, the five-Take a look at collection is delicately positioned at 1-1 after three matches. India gained the primary Take a look at in Perth by 295 runs, and Australia got here again to stage issues up with a 10-wicket victory within the pink-ball Take a look at in Adelaide.
The third Take a look at on the Gabba in Brisbane led to a draw.
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
