NEW DELHI: Australian batter Travis Head has dismissed claims of a rift within the Test team following comments made by fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, which sparked speculation about a potential divide in the dressing room.
Hazlewood addressed the media after day three of the match and was questioned about Australia’s approach to day four, given their daunting position at 3-12, chasing an improbable target of 534. His remarks were interpreted by some as hinting at a split within the side, prompting rumours of discord.
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Responding to a query, Hazlewood stated that he’s looking forward to the second Test rather than stressing about the current situation.
“You probably have to ask one of the batters that question. I’m sort of relaxing and trying to get a bit of physio and a bit of treatment, and I’m probably looking mostly towards the next Test and what plans we can do against these batters,” Hazlewood told mediapersons on Day 3.
“That to me tells me there is potentially a divided change room. I don’t know if there is. I might be reading too much into that,” reacted Adam Gilchrist on the situation.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he was “staggered” by Hazlewood’s comments.
“Publicly, I’ve never heard an Australian come out and divide the camp as batters and bowlers,” Vaughan told Fox Cricket.
However, reacting to the matter, Head quashed such speculations, emphasising the unity and camaraderie within the Australian camp despite the challenging circumstances.
“I think (people have) picked the bones out of a comment on the back of a poor week, which is fine. All the boys hung out together last night, nothing changed in the way we were as a group,” Head told 7NEWS.
“We stuck together, had some good conversations as we always would, win or draw. It’s a pretty level group. No doubt there was a lot of disappointment around the room but definitely no fractions,” he added.
After Hazlewood’s comments, Australian skipper Pat Cummins has emphatically denied any split within the team’s dressing room.
“It’s a really tight unit. It’s probably one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played with. We really enjoy playing cricket together,” Cummins said.
