'Head knows how to take the good with the bad'

Head at SRH

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI: "This game's brutal. Nothing's ever guaranteed," Travis Head said just before he kickstarted his IPL 2025 campaign with another turbo-charged beginning – 67 off 31 balls against Rajasthan Royals.

Staying in touch with reality is something the South Australian has internalised. It's one learning from his stop-start beginnings in international cricket; his career almost never took off (for five years from 2016) until it did, and how.

As we know, Head was the highest T20 run maker last year and his runs came more briskly than anyone else. "Prepare well. And hope it happens. If not, stay relaxed and know it's not far round the corner," he told the broadcasters.

That's how Head broke it down for himself, to help him get over the insecurity of batting for his place. In the right headspace now, Head takes his chances, hits more and misses less. A lot of it is down to his growing belief in his ability to simplify the game.