Khawaja wants Travis Head as fellow opener for Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has expressed his support for Travis Head to join him as an opener in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India. He also believes that Steve Smith would be most effective at the No. 4 position. Khawaja shared these views during a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, ahead of the five-Test series set to begin in November.
Khawaja's strategy for Australia's batting order
Khawaja suggested a strategic reshuffle of Australia's batting line-up, drawing inspiration from the 1937 Ashes series. In that series, Sir Donald Bradman had reversed the batting order on a green top and scored 270 runs at number seven. Khawaja believes that a similar approach could be beneficial for Australia in their upcoming series against India.
Head's impressive performance in T20 against England
Head recently demonstrated his batting prowess by leading Australia to a 28-run victory over England in the opening T20 match. He scored an impressive 59 runs off just 23 balls and equaled a record by scoring 30 runs in one over against England's Sam Curran. This performance has further solidified Khawaja's confidence in Head as a potential opener for the upcoming Test series against India. Notably, Head opens for Australia in ODIs as well.
Smith's performance and preferred batting position
Since David Warner's Test retirement in January, Smith has been promoted to the top of the order. However, his average score in four Tests against West Indies and New Zealand was only 28.50. Despite Smith stating that he is "not fussed either way" about his batting position against India, Khawaja insists that Smith would prefer to return to number four this summer.
Khawaja's insights on Smith's batting and team balance
Khawaja emphasized that Smith has been most successful at number four, and that the team seems to have a better balance with Marnus Labuschagne at three and Smith at four. He noted that when Smith bats at number four, conditions are usually more favorable for his style of play. Khawaja also stressed the importance of placing top batters where they perform best, citing Sir Donald Bradman as an example.
