Opener Travis Head won’t alter Bumrah, Siraj’s attacking mentality

Talk of Travis Head opening the batting for Australia in Test cricket indicates the uncertain nature of the position rather than being a reflection of the playerrsquos suitability to handle the new ballIf Australia possessed an obvious opening replacement for David Warner then Steve Smith wouldnrsquot have occupied the position last season Smith is a very capable No 4 and that is his best position so an opponent should welcome him facing the new ballHead opening in Test cricket is based on his unbridled success facing the new ball in both 50 overs and T20 cricket Therersquos no doubt Head with his ultraaggressive style is the ideal player to open in the two short forms of the game However Test cricket is an entirely different propositionHeadrsquos promotion to open in Test cricket should be seen as either an extremely desperate ploy or an extraordinarily adventurous move The desperation involves Headrsquos penchant for adopting an allout attack approach which can unravel in a Test match The adventurous part involves Headrsquos aggression unsettling the opposition field placings and thus creating an advantage for his own teamThe difference between the short forms of the game and Test cricket apply with both field placings and use of the bowlers The fielding side employing extra catching fieldsmen and being able to unleash a preferred bowler for longer periods makes opening much tougher in Test cricketAlso Read India must use Pantrsquos aggressionHiding weaknessesThe other important aspect is Headrsquos approach to batting His decision to mount a full blown attack is in part to camouflage any weakness in his batting If the opposing bowlers are bluffed into countering with an economic rather than a wickettaking plan then Headrsquos ploy is successfulIf Head is satisfied allout attack is the way for him to bat that boosts his confidence However a few cheap dismissals can see a playerrsquos confidence dwindle quicklyOne big flaw in the argument for Head to open in Test cricket is the opposition hersquoll face If it were a lesser opponent it might have some merit but a strong Indian attack will be hard to bluffAny move to open with Head that is designed to unsettle Jasprit Bumrah is asking a lot of the batsman Bumrah and to a lesser extent Mohammad Siraj are unlikely to be battered into altering their attacking mentalityAs well as fine fast bowlers Head is also vulnerable against good offspin bowling The wily R Ashwin is unlikely to be panicked by an opponentrsquos ultraaggressive approachThe argument could be mounted that opening with Head means hersquod be more settled facing Ashwin with some runs on the board On the other hand a smart opposing captain can utilise the offspinner with a newish ballAlso Read lsquoRavirsquos an enthusiastic commentator who talks a lot of sensersquoAmongst any argument to use Head as a Test match opener therersquos a compelling counterpointFormer Australian captain Tim Paine was asked about Smith as an opener He replied candidly ldquoAs an opposition player I want him at the top of the order because that gives me the best chance of getting him outrdquoThe same logic applies to Head as an opener in Test cricketAggressive intentionsIn choosing an opening pair for the Test series Australia need to be acutely aware of Indiarsquos attacking intentions under Rohit Sharmarsquos captaincy It was made abundantly clear in the second Test against Bangladesh that India will seek victory at every opportunity under Rohit That makes a good start in Tests against India a priority for AustraliaAnother issue clouding Australiarsquos choice of opener against India is the concern over Cameron Greenrsquos back injury The idea behind Smith opening last season was to fit both allrounders mdash Green and Mitch Marsh mdash into the teamIf Green can only bat because of his back issue and Marsh continues to be questionable as a bowler because of potential injury then it severely diminishes their allrounder statusTherersquos no doubt Australia desperately needs to find a capable Test opener but Head is not the solution to the problem