Mark Taylor on Australia’s shock selection call: “I worry about the psychological damage that may have been done to Travis Head”

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor is worried about the psychological impact the decision to drop Travis Head may have had on the middle-order batter. He stated that even if Head is recalled for the second Test against India, he might not be in the best frame of mind.

Taylor was among the many Australian cricket experts who were surprised with the visitors’ decision to leave out Head in favor of Matt Renshaw for the first Test against India in Nagpur. Renshaw was dismissed for 0 and two as the Aussies succumbed to defeat by an innings and 132 runs inside three days.

Australia might be forced to go back to Head for the second Test. However, Taylor reckons that his axing from the first Test XI might affect him mentally. The Aussie legend told Channel Nine:

"I dare say they'll go back to him now for the next Test, but I worry about the psychological damage that may have been done to Travis Head because what the selectors have told him is that they don't have great faith in him on those sorts of pitches.

"That's not what you need when you're going in to bat in places like India."

Head doesn’t have a great record away from home. He averages 21.69 in overseas Tests compared to 57.40 at home. However, Taylor opined that Head can only improve his numbers if he gets a chance to play more matches in such conditions. The 58-year-old commented:

"He's 29 years old and he's potentially the future of our middle order and the only way he's going to get better is if he plays in India. He still hasn't played a Test match in India yet, so that's where it surprises me."

Taylor asserted that Australia can fight back despite the horror result in Nagpur. He advised the team to remain positive, recalling how the visitors hit back after being crushed during the 1998 tour to India. Taylor commented:

"It's not impossible. I can think back to 25 years ago to my last couple of Test matches in India. We got beaten in Kolkata by an innings and 220-odd runs. In the fourth (third) Test of that series, we turned it around and won by eight wickets, so you can do it.”

Australia were bowled out for 177 and 91 in their two innings of the Nagpur Test as India’s spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin dominated proceedings.

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“We were confident it was our best XI” - Cummins on Head axe

Speaking after the Nagpur loss, Australian captain Pat Cummins refused to term the decision to drop Head as a mistake. Asked about the much-debated move, he said:

"We were confident it was our best XI this week. We know the quality Trav is. He's a huge part of this team but we were confident in the 11 guys out there. He's been really good around the group. He's been working really hard on his game like he always does."

The second Test of the four-match series begins at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Friday, February 17.