Travis Head will not be put under pressure to play first T20I against India: Matthew Wade

After helping Australia win the ODI World Cup final, Travis Head is slated to feature heavily in the upcoming five-match T20I series against India, especially in the absence of a lot of senior cricketers. However, skipper Matthew Wade clarified that he might take a break from the first T20I and there won’t be any pressure on him for doing so.

Notably, Head joined the Aussie squad after the first half of the World Cup as he was dealing with a fracture on his left hand. However, upon returning, he got straight into the playing XI and even scored a sensational century against New Zealand in his first match in the tournament. On the night of the finals, he played yet another incredible knock and scored 137 runs to help Australia beat India by six wickets to lift the trophy yet again.

Meanwhile, Wade revealed that the team management will have a chat with Head and will learn how he is feeling before deciding the playing XI for the first T20I. The stumper-batter assured that even if the cricketer misses out on the first T20I, he will feature throughout the remaining four matches.

“We will have a chat with him and see how he is feeling. There won’t be any pressure from us for him to play the first T20I, but he will definitely feature throughout the series. The T20 World Cup is not that far away and I think we have got 10 or 11 games before the battle kicks off again. Whether it’s tomorrow or throughout the series, you will see Travis play,” Wade was quoted as saying by India Today.

Trying to make sure that guys who played in WC are ready to go mentally and physically: Wade

Wade also focused on the importance of keeping players fresh amid a hectic schedule. With that, the 35-year-old indicated that some of the players who featured in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, may not feature in the first T20I as players need to be mentally and physically ready before playing a match.

“We are checking with the guys who played in the World Cup. We are trying to make sure that they are ready to go mentally and physically. So, there will be a few of those guys who will definitely miss out tomorrow just to get themselves up and about for the next four games. Apart from the physical and mental fatigue, we have a full squad to pick from,” Wade said.