“India can do with Travis Head what Australia is doing to Virat Kohli”: Sunil Gavaskar opines on how the visiting team can stop the best batter of BGT 2024-25

Travis Head has won two consecutive Player of the Match awards in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He scored 140 runs in the second game at the Adelaide Oval, with Australia registering a 10-wicket win. In the next contest in Brisbane, he made a contribution of 152 to the team’s total of 445. The star player also took one wicket, but the game ended in a draw due to rain. Head was not behind even in the team’s defeat in the series opener by 295 runs, with 89 runs coming from his bat in the second essay.

Ravi Shastri called him Travis Headache after his display at the Gabba. In just five innings, he has amassed 409 runs in five innings at an average of 81.80. The second-highest run score, KL Rahul is on 235 runs from six innings. This shows the difference between Travis and the rest of the players between the two teams.

Mark Nicholas asked Sunil Gavaskar about the suggestion to stop Australia’s best performer.

“India can do with Travis Head what Australia is doing to Virat Kohli. They can keep the ball wide outside the off stump, and there is a possibility of Head going for a drive and getting caught in the slips. He can also be tested with bouncers. The problem for me is that India hasn’t bowled enough bouncers to him, which has allowed the batter to settle down and go for shots.

‘India will have to execute their plans against Travis Head to perfection to take his wicket. Australia haven’t given anything to Virat that makes him feel good in the middle, and India should do that in the upcoming games,” he said on Star Sports.

Matthew Hayden is not confident that India would be able to contain Travis Head.

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