Perth Pitch Puts Indian Batters on Notice: Travis Head's Assessment Is ‘Terrifying’

Australia batsman Travis Head has given his thoughts on the Perth pitch ahead of the first Test match against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The pitch is expected to be a challenging one for the Indian batsmen, as Perth is renowned for favoring fast bowlers with its bounce and pace. Adjusting to the bounce early in their innings may prove to be a struggle for players batting for the first time in Perth. Head's assessment of the wicket has only heightened concerns for the batters, as he described some areas of the pitch as 'terrifying'.

Head, who has an impressive average of 40-plus at Perth, said that though he enjoys batting there, but it gets challenging while batting on the last three days.

"I do know that I've enjoyed batting here – in parts. There are parts of this wicket that can be terrifying, simple as that. I think everyone's talked about that. Depending on where the wicket goes to on day three, four and five, it can be challenging," Head told the Unplayable Podcast.

Head, who is known for his explosive batting, has not been at his best in the current WTC cycle and is averaging just 28.68 in 12 Tests, with just a century and three fifties in 22 innings and the best score of 119.

Meanwhile, the swashbuckling batter also revealed how he used to prepare for the bouncy surfaces in England during the last Ashes with the yellow balls.

"I did it a lot in England," Head said. "I don't think I had a net session pretty much after the first Test that I faced cricket balls. I just faced yellow balls because I knew that (short balls) were all they were going to bowl me. When you're going through a long series, and I guess I was the one that copped it the most of that series, I thought I'd have a bit of a laugh and go to training without my pads - so that may come out again," he added.

Head revealed the reason behind using the yellow balls to train for the short deliveries in training.

"I don't want a broken finger but I want to train it. It's not enjoyable to train and it's hard to do and visibility and wickets (makes it) not as (easy to bat against) as the centre.