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The Travis Head jinx: Why upcoming Australia tour is India’s best chance for a turnaround

Jatin

Travis Head's numbers vs India are stunning [Source: @BCCI/x.com]Travis Head's numbers vs India are stunning [Source: @BCCI/x.com]

If there is one Aussie who has been living rent-free in Indian cricket fans’ heads, it is Travis Head. Be it the WTC 2021-23 Final in London or the ODI World Cup 2023 Final in Ahmedabad, Head has been that one constant thorn: walking in, looking calm as ever and then tearing into India like it’s backyard cricket.

But the same Travis Head who made bowlers look like bowling machines in the last few years is now struggling to even find the middle of his bat in 2025.

India’s upcoming ODI series in Australia couldn’t have been timed better. The jinx that's haunted them for a long time might finally have a crack in it, and if there was ever a window to break the Travis Head curse, this is it.

The fall from fireworks

In 2024, Travis Head was in beast mode. Bowlers feared him, fans waited for his blitz, and commentators ran out of superlatives. His T20I numbers from that year say it all:

  • 15 matches, 539 runs at a strike rate of 178.47, including four fifties and a whopping 33 sixes. Every time he walked out, you could sense the storm brewing.
  • But come 2025, the storm seems to have lost its thunder. Head has managed just 70 runs in six T20Is this year at an average of 11.66 and a strike rate of 109.3.

The swagger is missing and the rhythm is gone. It has been a mix of wasted starts, mistimed swings and bowlers who have clearly done their homework.

The pattern that is hard to ignore

There is no mystery to how teams have started keeping Head quiet. The formula is out in the open and it’s working. Bowlers have stopped feeding him his favourite slot balls. Instead, they are bowling pace-off deliveries early on, keeping him guessing.

The short ball into the ribs has returned, with mid-wicket and square leg perfectly placed. The stump line deliveries around the off-stump channel. Add in the occasional wide-line cutter and a bit of early spin and suddenly, the same batter who used to dictate terms looks unsure of his next move.

Head thrives on flow. Cut that off early and he tends to chase the game. The moment he tries to overhit, he loses shape. The result? A once-dominant opener now looks like a man searching for answers.

India’s golden opportunity

India’s bowlers, though, haven’t cracked the Travis Head code yet. He smashed them for 76 off 43 in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final and every time they thought they had him covered, he found a way to hit back. But this time, the situation is different.

Head is short on form and confidence and that is when even giants can look human. With Jasprit Bumrah rested, the responsibility now falls on Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and most importantly, Arshdeep Singh.

Arshdeep could be India’s X-factor in this battle. He swings it both ways, hits the right channels and has that natural ability to make left-handers uncomfortable. Moreover, in T20s, Arshdeep has dismissed Head twice in a pan of 16 balls and gave away 22 runs.

Head hasn’t faced Arshdeep in ODIs yet but their T20I face-off tells a story: 18 balls, 29 runs, and no dismissals. Not bad, but it’s the setup that matters. Arshdeep’s natural angle across the left-hander and his late inward movement could finally test Head’s patience in conditions where swing will play a part.

Why the timing couldn’t be better

The AUS vs IND ODI series starts on October 19 and it is more than just another bilateral contest. With the 2026 T20 World Cup approaching rapidly, India can use this ODI series as a mini-lab: a place to experiment, to plan and most importantly, to find a way to dismiss Head early. Because if there’s one lesson India has learned the hard way, it’s this: don’t let Travis Head settle.

Right now, he is down on confidence and that is when you strike. Get him early, make him play across the line, frustrate him with tight fields because if India can solve the Head puzzle now, it will pay off big time when the stakes are higher next year.

Conclusion

Travis Head’s 2025 slump is real, and India must grab this chance with both hands. Because if the past years were about Head breaking Indian hearts, this one might just be about India breaking the Head jinx.

The ball is in India’s court or rather, in Indian bowlers’ hands!