Perth,: Australian batter Travis Head on Monday backed Virat Kohli to “have his moments in the series” as the Indian superstar continued to dominate talks in the run-up to the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting here on Friday.
Kohli’s ordinary returns with the bat this year in Test cricket notwithstanding, the 36-year-old has been the cynosure of all eyes since the Indian team landed in Australia last week.
Head threw his support behind the Indian batting mainstay, who managed a mere 93 runs across three Tests against New Zealand at a forgettable average of 15.50 in his last assignment at home just before the tour of Australia.
“No doubt, we will go through all their players, cannot wait to start well against them. Virat’s going to have his moments in this series, hopefully not too many of them,” Head told the media at the Optus Stadium after Australia’s training session.
“He is a world-class player. Over the course of five Tests, he is going to play well at some stage. We have to understand and respect that. Hopefully, the players on our side also have their moments in the series,” said the left-handed batter.
Head reckoned having closed-door sessions in Australia, shortly after India’s unprecedented Test series defeat to New Zealand, would have allowed Kohli to find his rhythm.
“He is pretty big. Everyone talks about Virat, wherever he goes. Maybe the closed sessions give him a bit of freedom, bit of space,” he said.
“There won’t be a series where you would play India and you wouldn’t talk about Kohli,” Head added.
India captain Rohit Sharma is missing the series opener due to the birth of his second child, and Head supported his decision.
“(One) hundred per cent, I support Rohit’s decision. I would have done the same in the same situation,” Head remarked.
“We sacrifice a lot of things as cricketers. While we live a privileged life, we miss important milestones in our personal lives. You don’t get that time back. Hopefully, he returns at some stage in this series.”
Despite India’s struggles in recent times, Rohit’s unavailability for the first Test and Shubman Gill being ruled out due to a fractured thumb, Head said the visitors will field a strong team.
“If you look at our history, you would not rule out any Indian team,” he said.
“In the last two trips, they’ve had injuries and doubts, and people questioned them, but they pulled off incredible performances. Whoever they play, it’s going to be a strong team,” he added.
