IND vs AUS: Travis Head fully fit to play Boxing Day Test as Australia announce playing XI

Australia batter Travis Head is fully fit to play the Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne that starts from Thursday (26 December), skipper Pat Cummins has said. Travis Head had sustained a minor quad strain during the drawn third Test in Brisbane last week, and was doubtful for the fourth Test at MCG.

Cummins clears doubts on Head’s fitness concerns 

However, Cummins cleared doubts on Head’s fitness after the latter was named in Australia’s playing XI for the fourth Test. “Trav’s good to go, he’ll play. He just kicked off some final things today and yesterday. But no worries about injury with Trav. He’ll go into the game fully fit,” Cummins told reporters ahead of the match.

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“I don’t think you’ll see too much management of him throughout the game. He just kind of plays as is. Maybe around fielding, if he’s a bit uncomfortable, we will (manage him), but he’s fully fit. It feels like the last 12 months, he’s been in this unbelievable vein of form, and he just keeps going on with it.

“He’s hitting the ball really cleanly. You can see the pressure that he shifts back onto the opposition literally from the first ball that he walks out there," added the 31-year-old. Head has been in fine form in the ongoing Test series against Australia, having scored back-to-back centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. He also scored 89 runs in the second innings of the first Test in Perth. He is also currently the top run-getter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series with 409 runs from five innings.

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“I’m loving that he’s in our team, and I don’t have to try to set a field and bowl to him. He’s hitting the ball as well as I’ve ever seen anyone. So long may it continue,” Cummins further stated. The uncapped Sam Konstas will make his Test debut as he replaces Nathan McSweeney in the playing XI, whereas Scott Boland returns in place of the injured Josh Hazlewood.

The Test series is evenly-poised at 1-1 after three matches. India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs whereas Australia clinched a 10-wicket win in the second Test in Adelaide. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw amid multiple rain interruptions. The fourth Test in Melbourne will be followed by the fifth Test in Sydney, starting from 3 January.

Australia playing XI for fourth Test vs India: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.