Darren Lehmann terms Travis Head's exclusion from Nagpur Test 'ridiculous'
Head was omitted from the first Test [Twitter]
Former Australian coach, Darren Lehmann, has expressed his disapproval of Australia's team selection for the first Test in Nagpur, calling the decision to leave Travis Head out of the equation 'ridiculous'. Although Lehmann could not lead the Australian team to a series victory in India in 2017, he had a good understanding of the subcontinent's conditions, as evidenced by their series-opening win, followed by a 2-1 loss.
“They didn't get selection right. Not playing Head was ridiculous, and he could have bowled some extra overs," Lehmann told The Sydney Morning Herald.
After Australia's defeat by an innings and 132 runs in the first Test, the former coach from South Australia defended his compatriot's omission, stating that it played a part in the team's loss. Lehmann acknowledged that Head had a challenging task ahead of him if he wanted to maintain his spot on the team, particularly after his impressive performances in the past two years at home.
According to the 53-year old, if the southpaw was ever going to succeed in India, it was going to be off the back of the confidence the home series gave him. Lehmann added that the other players' records in India were not impressive, except for Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, who is an accomplished player of spin.
The Australian veteran suggested that it would have been ideal for the team to have played a tour game before the series. However, he understood that the team management did not favour the idea as the last tour game they played in India in 2017 was on a green wicket.
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