Mumbai, December 10: Former captain Tim Paine has revealed that star batter Travis Head and his former Australian coach Justin Langer often had contrasting views on how to approach batting with the red ball. Paine believes that since gaining the freedom to play his own way under Langer's later tenure and the guidance of McDonald and Cummins, Head has flourished as a Test cricketer. Head stole the spotlight against India in his home venue at Adelaide Oval, blasting 140 off 141 balls and leading Australia to a total of 337, which set up a dominant 10-wicket victory in the pink-ball Test. Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25: Travis Head Clears the Air After Heated Exchange Against Mohammed Siraj During IND vs AUS 2nd Test in Adelaide, Says ‘Little Bit of Misunderstanding; We Move On’.

“I don't think either of them will mind me saying this, but I think he and JL used to have a real difference of opinion. You've got Test greats in commentary and you've got a Test great (Langer) that’s coaching and Graeme Hick at the time who’d scored 101 First Class hundreds as his batting coach (offering advice)." Paine said on SEN Breakfast.

“They were trying really hard for him to work on his defence and it wasn't the way he wanted to go about it, but he was a young Test player who was trying to impress and trying to stay in the team, so he was trying to please a bit of everyone." 'This Is The Field India Needed for Travis Head' Michael Vaughan Rubs Salt to Indian Cricket Team's Wounds As Australian Batter Stars in Hosts' 10-Wicket Win in IND vs AUS Adelaide Test (See Pic).

“I think that's been the major shift in his output because he is sticking true to the way he wants to play. At times he's going to fail and at times he's gonna have lean patches, but he's going to be super aggressive, he's going to play his shots and he's going to try and be a match winner and we're just seeing him blossom at the moment in all formats of the game.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 10, 2024 11:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).