Hussey considers why Head was 'left out'

Former Test batsman Mike Hussey says Travis Head is the unluckiest player to miss out on Australia's Test tour of India, and says the fact the South Australian is left-handed may have counted against him.

Despite averaging 60 with the bat in Sheffield Shield cricket this season and offering a handy spin-bowling option, the uncapped Head for overlooked for the four-Test series starting next month, with fellow off-spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell getting the nod.

In contrast to Head, Maxwell averaged just 25.80 in three Shield matches this season and was even left out of Victoria's side for the opening match of the summer.

Australia are likely to field at least four left-handers in their top seven for the first Test, and given the stock ball of Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin turns away from left-handed batsmen, Hussey believes it may have been a key factor in Maxwell getting the nod.

"I think the other thing that might have helped (Maxwell) is being a right-hander, as opposed to Travis Head, who I thought was right in contention as well," Hussey told cricket.com.au.

"Ashwin is going to be such a key player for India and he's got a great record against left-handers. So maybe that was something the selectors were thinking about as well.

"(Head has) done well at one-day international level for Australia so I thought it'd be a nice, seamless progression for him to come into the Test team. I feel like he's pretty unlucky. 

"(Maxwell) hasn't really set the world on fire from Victoria this season.

"Ideally, you don't want to be picking on potential. You want to be picking on performances on the board.

"But he's such a great package and offers the team a lot of balance. So when he's playing at his best and contributing, he's a match-winner with the bat, he can help out with the ball and he's obviously a gun in the field.

"He hasn't quite got the runs on the board that many people think he needed."

Australia's top seven for the first Test in Pune is expected to include David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Usman Khawaja and Matthew Wade, who are all left-handed, as are the likes of Shaun Marsh, Ashton Agar as well tail-enders Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Eighteen of Ashwin's 28 victims in the recent Test series against England were left-handed batsmen, while he also took 18 left-handed scalps (out of 29) against Australia four years ago.

Wade was dismissed by Ashwin, now the International Cricket Council's No.1 ranked Test bowler, three times in that 2013 series, while Warner (twice) and Starc (once) will also return to India this year having been dismissed by the off-spinner four years ago.

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Of concern for Australia, as well, will be the record of number three Khawaja against spin bowling. A third (12 of 36) of Khawaja's total dismissals in Test cricket have come against bowlers whose stock delivery turns away from the left-hander; Graeme Swann (five times), Dilruwan Perera (three times), Tabraiz Shamsi (once) and part-timers Kane Williamson, JP Duminy and Joe Root (once each).

Almost a quarter (25 of 107) of Warner's dismissals in Tests have come against off-spin bowlers - including six against Ashwin - while Wade's ratio of off-spin dismissals is also around a third (seven of 22, including three by Ashwin).

By way of comparison, captain Steve Smith - who is right-handed - has only been dismissed 11 times by off-spin bowlers, which translates to around 14 per cent of his total dismissals.

Ashwin is expected to be supported in the series by fellow off-spinner Jayant Yadav, although his fledgling career (four of his nine wickets against England late last year were left-handers) suggests the Test rookie favours neither left- or right-handed players.

And while the stock ball of prolific left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja turns away from the right-hander, half of his victims against England last year were left-handed, although 16 of his 24 wickets against Australia in 2013 were right-handers.

Hussey admits it's a concern that Australia will take on Ashwin with so many left-handers in their side, but says selection shouldn't be based on which side of the bat a player stands. 

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"It's a concern, but we've got to pick our best players," Hussey said. "And they've got to adapt and play Ashwin as well as they can, and Yadav as well.

"It's going to be tough, there's no question about that, but we can't be picking inferior players just because they're right-handed.

"They've got to go with their best players and if they're left-handed, go for it. If they're right-handed, that's great as well."