Australian batter Travis Head on Monday dismissed speculations of a "divide" between his struggling batting lineup and a strong bowling attack as they prepared for the bounce back in a pink-ball Test against India. The match will begin December 6.
It went awfully wrong for the Australia batters as they took on a tough bouncy pitch and crashed 295 runs while failing to cope with their scoring: just 104 and 238 runs for both their innings.
Going by day three of the Test, pacer Josh Hazlewood, after grabbing four wickets in the first innings, said: "They didn't," after which it was gathered that the pacer probably reacted out of frustration regarding his teammates' batting issues.
Head, however, was quick to put those rumors to rest. "There's no reason to doubt the dynamics in the dressing room," he said. "It can be put to bed. We have high hopes for both sides – batting and bowling – and it's a very individual sport. We want our batters to do their thing, and we know how good our bowlers have been for us. They've often got us out of trouble. As a batting group, we know that if we get enough runs on the board, we give ourselves a great chance."
He continued, "As a batter, I take a lot of pride in my role, knowing that if I can set it up for the big boys, they can finish it off for us. So definitely no divide."
Hazlewood had earlier been asked about Australia’s approach on day four, with the team at 12/3 while chasing a daunting target of 534. "You probably have to ask one of the batters that question," Hazlewood said. "I’m relaxing, trying to get some treatment, and mostly focusing on the next Test."
The Australian top order, comprising Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, collapsed in Perth. Labuschagne has been struggling with form, and some former players have called for his exclusion from the side. However, Head expressed confidence in Labuschagne's ability to turn things around.
"Knowing Marnus, he would have worked on a few things over the last few days. It would have been hard for him to stay out of the nets,” Head said. "There’s no doubt we’ll see him working hard again. He’s a guy who has performed well over a long period. He wants more runs, just like the rest of us."
Australia are now trailing 0-1 in the five-match series and face an uphill battle, especially as the race for the World Test Championship final intensifies. But Head backed his team to recover from the disappointment of Perth.
This team has handled adversity well," he said. "We have had minor setbacks in the last couple of years, but we have played well. We didn't play well this week, but that is okay. We have four more chances to make it right. We will keep moving along, as we have for the last couple of years. Many teams have lost the first Test or gone down in a series and then fought back very well. We will do the same.
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