"Has somebody come out and said, ‘We got it wrong’ yet?" - Michael Clarke on Travis Head's omission for first Test against India
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has hit out at the national team's selection decision that cost them a Test series win in India. Clarke reckons that not picking Travis Head for the first Test in Nagpur was a massive blunder and that Australia should give their best players some window of time to adjust.
The Aussies controversially omitted the in-form Head for the first Test against India in Nagpur and went ahead with Matt Renshaw. The latter fell cheaply in both innings of that match.
Head, who returned in the second Test, finished the series with 235 runs in three games at 47 and striking at a healthy 68.71.
Travis Head brings up a well-crafted 50!
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Speaking on Sky Sports' Radio's The Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke reckoned that not picking Head for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 was a mistake. He also feels that omitting Steve Smith for the T20 World Cup was an error, with Australia failing to win both trophies.
"Has somebody come out and said, ‘We got it wrong’ yet? Everyone came out at the time and said, ‘We made the right decision’, is it still the right decision to have not picked Travis Head in the first Test match?
"Being a selector is a tough gig, don’t get me wrong, but we have to admit we got it wrong in not picking Steve Smith in our Twenty20 World Cup campaign, 100 per cent we got that wrong and 100 per cent we got it wrong not picking Travis Head in the first Test match.
"So, no coincidence we lost both."
The World Cup-winning captain observed how Australia got better and better as the series went on, continuing:
"Let’s also see what our preparation is like for that Ashes series, hopefully we’ve learnt from what happened in India as well. Our cricket got better the more we played there, no coincidence.
"Can you imagine as well, Travis Head, a senior player, he’s captained South Africa, his record in the last 12 months outstanding, No.4 ranked Test batter in the world, imagine the shock he would have got being told he’s not being picked and he’s around the group as well."
With David Warner returning home after the second Test, Head also opened the batting and scored proactively against India's spinners and pacers alike. The South Australian finished the series with a pristine 90 and was primed for a hundred before Axar Patel got the better of him in the fourth Test.
"It’s so hard when you first play there" - Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke further underlined that even the best players of spin take time to adjust to the challenging conditions of the sub-continent and that players deserve a chance. He explained:
"It’s so hard when you first play there. Even the best players in spin, it’s different.
"It’s a different place to play spin bowling. It takes time to adjust and work out that inconsistent bounce, to work out which shots are appropriate, that variation takes time, you’ve got to give guys an opportunity.
"Even if they started with Travis Head, gave him a couple of Tests and he didn’t perform, the selectors could justify that."
In 86 days, Australia and India will do battle again for the WTC final 🍿
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With the fourth Test in Ahmedabad ending in a draw, India and Australia will clash in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval on June 7.