Left-handed batsman Travis Head will turn to his junior South Australian team-mate Harry Nielsen for advice to tackle Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as he prepares to play his maiden Test match on home soil this week.
While the 24-year-old Australian has been guaranteed a spot in the Playing XI for the opening Test, one of the Victorian pair of Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb will miss out on selection.
Whether left-handed Harris or right-handed Handscomb will get the nod in the Playing XI will definitely depend on Indian spinner Ashwin, who has created a lot of problems for lefties throughout his career averaging under 20 against them in the longest format of the game.
However, Head felt that left-hander Nielsen handled "world-class bowler" Ashwin pretty well in the lone tour match and, therefore, he is planning to have word with him ahead of the opening Test.
"Harry played well against him yesterday so when he gets home off the plane I'll have a word to him. He's a world-class bowler, but I think we've got some world-class batters as well. So I think it'll be a good contest," cricket.com.au quoted Head as saying.
Ashwin struggled against a young Cricket Australia XI, finishing with only two wickets while conceding 122 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Neilsen and another left-hander D'Arcy Short tackled him well as they scored 100 and 74, respectivvely.
Last week, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had also called on the national selectors that they should select their best batsmen against India and should not focus on whether they are left handers or right.
"They've just got to pick their best batting line-up, simple as that. Don't worry if they're all left handed or if they're all right handed," he had told cricket.com.au.
India will look to fulfill their dream of winning a Test series on Australian soil when they head into a four-match contest, starting with the opening match at Adelaide on December 6.
