Right from the time Travis Head made his Test debut against Pakistan in Dubai in October 2018, he has made it a habit to score runs in tough situations and when the stakes are high.

In his first Test match, Head came up with a fighting half-century in the second innings to help Australia eke out a draw from a losing position. For all the aggression he is known for, the Washington Freedom opener scored just five boundaries during his stay at the crease and played out 175 balls for his 72.

On a green top at the Gabba, Brisbane, Head scored a gutsy 92 off just 96 balls against South Africa during the first match of a three-Test series in December 2022. In a match where no other Australian batter managed a fifty, the southpaw smashed 13 fours and a six to power Australia to a thrilling six-wicket win within two days.

Then came the most important of them all, the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval in June 2023. Head top-scored in the contest with a mammoth 163, including 25 fours and a six, and was involved in a 285-run partnership with the Freedom skipper Steve Smith which put India out of the game.

With seven centuries and 16 fifties to his name, Head has amassed 3173 runs for Australia from 49 Tests at an impressive average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 64.71. It is not only the runs Head scores but the pace at which he accumulates them is what unsettles opponents.

If we put together all the seven instances where Head has scored a century in Test cricket, he strikes at 80.34, almost 16 runs higher per 100 balls than his entire career strike rate. Moreover, he has gone past the 150-run mark in four out of his seven hundreds.

So once Head has his eye in, it is difficult for teams to see his back, and he can also quickly change the complexion of a Test match. No opposition will find themselves settled as long as Head is at the crease.

However, Head has averaged only 24.75 in Test matches in 2024 after aggregating more than 40 runs per inning in each of the last three years. The middle-order batter has only made one score of 50 or more in the last 16 visits to the crease.

Head’s record against India in Tests at home is also middling. In the last two editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Head has scored a total of 299 runs from 10 innings, averaging just under 30 with two fifties to his name.

With a brilliant white-ball season behind him, Head would be hoping to translate that form into the longest format of the game as Australia welcome India in the latest edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with the first Test starting in Perth on November 22.

Head would also take confidence from his performances in recent outings against India across formats, including two centuries in the final of the WTC 2021-23 cycle and the ODI World Cup 2023 within a gap of six months.

With Australia hosting India in a five-Test series for the first time since 1992 and a place in the final of the WTC 2023-25 hanging in the air, Head would be raring to walk into the middle with his bat to prove his big-match credentials yet again.