Travis Head is ready to play a key role with the ball for Australia in India. LACHLAN McKIRDY unpacks how the batter has developed his off-spin bowling in the past eight months.
An unexpected Galle haul and New Zealand great Dan Vettori’s mentorship has set the platform for Travis Head to take his bowling to another level.
Head has delivered more overs in the past seven Tests than his 20 matches before that, showcasing a handy ability to find a wicket out of nowhere.
It is a timely boost to Australia’s bowling depth ahead of a taxing series in India.
During the final Test of the home summer, Ricky Ponting stated in commentary that he felt part-time spinners Head and Marnus Labuschagne looked more dangerous with the ball than the returning Ashton Agar.
Head’s evolution as an off-spinner picked up a notch when he snared 4-10 against Sri Lanka last June. The South Australian has since been given more opportunities to bowl, relishing the responsibility and dedicating more time to his craft.
“That propelled me to getting more of a bowl,” Head says of the innings in Galle.
“I have worked on it. Having Dan Vettori with us has definitely helped that. He’s someone I get along with and work with really well. And I think I’ve slightly got a bit better at it.”
It’s built confidence that Head’s bowling is Test standard, although he knows his role in India will depend on the pitches presented.
“[On the] first two or three days, I’m not probably going to have much impact,” he says. “But when the rough is there, you can throw it in there and you don’t have to do too much.
“The way it comes out of my hand has always been like that. I’ve always enjoyed bowling like that on day three or four to right-handers.
“It gives Gaz (Nathan Lyon) a good chop out. I’m not here for a long time, just there for a good time.”
Pat Cummins conceded last month that it could be an option to play one frontline spinner in India, noting Head is “a slightly different off-spin bowler” to Nathan Lyon.
“A bit flatter which could be really helpful over there,” Cummins said at the SCG.
“[I’ve] been really happy with how he’s bowled, probably under bowled him even this game. So he’ll be a big part for us over there.”
A side-by-side comparison of Head and Lyon’s bowling shows the difference in their off-spin technique.
Rather than the overspin that the GOAT prefers – often generating sharper bounce – Head focuses on sidespin. When targeting the rough, that can yield either vicious turn or slide straight on.
“I don’t know which one is going to do what,” Head says.
“I’m trying to get over the top of it a little bit more to get some drop on it.
“When I get in a good position, I can get it to drift and drop with that side spin … throw it into the rough. One will spin and one won’t.”
Head believes that variation will help him complement Lyon while having an important impact in India, particularly to right-handed batters.
“Gaz is so good and consistent,” Head says.
“Because Gaz is so good at his stock ball, it becomes repetitive and batters can get in a rhythm. Then in the Ashes in 2019, you see him get one or two wickets and there might be long partnerships but all of a sudden you can take four in a couple of overs because it’s so hard to start against him.
“If that means I can come in for a couple of overs, change the angles. If I do get a breakthrough then great, he can get back into his work. We complement each other well.”
Spin bowling in India is no easy task. Lyon and Steve O’Keefe bowled 345 overs combined across Australia’s four Tests in 2017.
It’s a far cry from Head’s 28 overs in Tests since the first match in Galle. While he’s not set to bowl an excessive amount of overs, Head has experience to draw on.
“I played as the No.1 spinner for South Australia for a period of time, rightly or wrongly,” he says.
“But I’ve bowled a lot of overs in periods.
“If I’m needed to bowl more, I can bowl more.”
By the end of the tour, Head still wants the focus to be on his batting.
After another summer where he was able to dominate with bat in hand, tours of India and England this year are set to be his greatest challenge
Head is hopeful of replicating his feats in conditions that he hasn’t yet been able to master.
“The natural way for me is to always put [bowlers] under pressure,” he says.
“I was really happy with how I played Simon Harmer (in Sydney), that’s a nice intro to Ashwin. It’s a different beast in his conditions.
“You have to go in there with expectations of wanting to play well…but I feel like I’ve got the game to do it.
“Hopefully I can make the most of it, I feel like I’m in a good space.”
