Travis Head or KL Rahul - who is more key to their team's batting hopes ahead of BGT 2024-25 4th Test?
Travis Head and KL Rahul are the headline acts of the Australian and Indian batting units, respectively, considering how they have carried their teams in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far. Both batters have outperformed their peers by a significant margin, and remain in the spotlight in the business end of the series.
They are the top two run-scorers in the campaign so far, and although their method of scoring could not be more different from each other, the impact they have delivered is the same.
Both batters are coming on the back of injury scares ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Head was struggling with a groin injury in the later stages of the third Test in Brisbane, while Rahul copped a blow to his hand recently while batting in the nets.
India and Australia, given their current shape, cannot fathom taking the field without Rahul and Head, respectively. This shows their importance to the team, but the question here is who among them is the bigger key.
#1 India's series hopes hinge on KL Rahul's continued resilience at the top against the new ball
KL Rahul is a huge reason why India are heading into the final two Tests with an acceptable score line of 1-1. So far, the series has shown that if he fares well, then naturally, the Men in Blue collectively fare well too. His resilient knock in the first innings of the first Test set the tempo for India, while his rescue act in Brisbane also carried the same weightage in terms of saving the team in a time of crisis.
Both those innings bailed India out of some serious danger. Unfortunately, given how the rest of the batting unit has been inconsistent and has barely shown any signs of improvement, KL Rahul's momentum is all India have from a batting standpoint.
KL Rahul's temperament, and ability to stave off the new ball, and hold one end for a long period of time would assist India in hiding the cracks in the remainder of the batting unit. His relatively early dismissals in Adelaide meant that India failed to cross the 200-run mark in that contest. Thus, he needs to carry on the way he is batting, and hope that the rest catch up when it matters.
#2 Australia need Travis Head to keep going to compensate for their batting frailties in general
Australia's top order also paints a similar story to that of India. The majority of the batters are looking short of confidence, and are unable to figure out a way to survive and build their innings at the same time.
Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Alex Carey have chipped in at times, but a collective batting effort is yet to be seen from the Men in Yellow.
However, the one thing they have done right, is to just hang around enough, and not expose Travis Head early on, when the times are tough (apart from the Perth Test). In both of his hundreds in the series, he came to bat in when the ball was soft, and in a phase where runs were on offer.
Even if there is some sort of platform, it is more than enough for Head to capitalize upon, which always makes him a huge threat from India's perspective.
#3 India look more handicapped without Rahul, than Australia do without Head
In terms of percentage of runs, KL Rahul has scored 18.6 percent of India's scores in the tour. On the other hand, Head's contribution reads a whopping 33.1 percent.
Despite their imperious form, they are equally vulnerable to a potential low score on the horizon. Even though he has impressive technique and patience, KL Rahul is always under threat due to the Australian bowlers' prowess, and also since he is up against the new ball.
Travis Head, on the other hand, is also in jeopardy due to his high-risk approach. Team India may well come out with a plan against him in the fourth Test, whether it be a short-ball barrage, or forcing him into a mistake early on, it remains to be seen.
With that being said, Australia arguably have more reliable and more in-form batters to fall back on compared to India. Their batters have also shown glimpses of improvement, and methods of countering India's bowling charge apart from Bumrah.
Team India had to rely on their lower order to avoid a follow-on, which goes on to show the current state of their batting unit. If KL Rahul, and the control he brings is removed from this equation, then the Men in Blue arguably do not have much to show for in the series so far, barring a couple of sporadic knocks.
Although Head has made bigger contributions, and scored more than a fair share compared to his teammates, KL Rahul holds the bigger key as India's batting spearhead as of now. His exploits against the new ball will set the tempo, and if he can hold his end for as long as possible, and shield the vulnerable middle order, it could prove to be a game-changer.