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Australia batter Travis Head has extended his support to Rohit Sharma's decision to skip the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be with his wife following the birth of their second child. With Rohit unavailable, pace spearhead and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will captain the side. Head backed Rohit's priorities and said he would have done the same if he had been in the same situation. “Hundred per cent, I support Rohit's decision. I would have done the same in the same situation. 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,” Head said after the training session at Optus Stadium, Perth on Monday.
Rohit's absence has left India without their regular captain for the crucial series opener. However, it is understood that Rohit would join the team either midway through the first Test or ahead of the second match in Adelaide, which will be played under lights with the pink ball.
Despite the setback of losing Rohit at the start of the series, Head warned against underestimating the Indian team. “If you look at our history, you would not rule out any Indian team. 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,” said Head, referring to India's stunning series wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
India's ability to rise to the occasion without key players has been a hallmark of their recent tours to Australia. The team management will be counting on players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja to step up, while youngsters like Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal could be crucial in the absence of their skipper.
Head also believes star India batter Kohli will have his moments, calling the 36-year-old a "world-class" operator. Head also urged Australia to appreciate Kohli's talent and realise that during the five-match series, there would be times when he is virtually unstoppable at the wicket.
Kohli averaged just 22.72 in his six Test matches this year, way below his average of 54.08 in Tests in Australia and his overall career average of 47.83. He comes into his fifth Australia tour after making just 91 runs in India's 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand at home earlier this month.
"He's pretty big. Everyone talks about Virat, wherever he goes. Maybe the closed sessions give him a bit of freedom, bit of space. There won't be a series where you would play India and you wouldn't talk about Kohli.
"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. He's 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," he added.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who is also the top wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, stated that the bowling lineup has strategies for every batter, not just Virat. "Cannot wait to get cracking", said Lyon as he sent out alarm bells ringing for the Indian side, who are entering the upcoming series, on the back of a home series defeat against New Zealand.
"We know what India brings to the table so it is going to be a massive challenge for us. It is not just Virat, we have got plans for each one of their guys. They have a side full of superstars, the batting lineup which is exciting, it is a massive challenge for us," said Lyon.
"We are looking forward to that, we have some plans in store. Let's get cracking on Friday," he added.