NEW DELHI: Former skipper Tim Paine has disclosed that there were frequent disagreements between Travis Head and his previous Australian coach Justin Langer regarding batting techniques in Test cricket.
According to Paine, Head’s performance in Test cricket improved significantly when he received the autonomy to implement his preferred batting style during Langer’s final period and under the leadership of McDonald and Cummins.
“I don’t think either of them will mind me saying this, but I think he and JL used to have a real difference of opinion,” Paine said on SEN Breakfast.
Is India’s batting now over dependent on Yashasvi Jaiswal?
“You’ve got Test greats in commentary and you’ve got a Test great (Langer) that’s coaching and Graeme Hick at the time who’d scored 101 First Class hundreds as his batting coach (offering advice).
“They were trying really hard for him to work on his defence and it wasn’t the way he wanted to go about it, but he was a young Test player who was trying to impress and trying to stay in the team, so he was trying to please a bit of everyone.
“I think that’s been the major shift in his output because he is sticking true to the way he wants to play.
How can India still qualify for World Test Championship final?
“At times he’s going to fail and at times he’s gonna have lean patches, but he’s going to be super aggressive, he’s going to play his shots and he’s going to try and be a match winner and we’re just seeing him blossom at the moment in all formats of the game.”
Head demonstrated his prowess at his home ground, Adelaide Oval, with an impressive innings of 140 from 141 deliveries against India. His performance helped Australia achieve a total of 337, leading to a decisive 10-wicket victory in the pink-ball Test.