Larrikin cricket star Travis Head reveals the secret months-long sacrifice he made to help Australia beat India

Travis Head’s World Cup heroics will live long in the minds of many India fans.

In recent years, he has been the bane of the Indian cricket team, notably hitting 137 runs off 120 balls and helping Australia win the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

During the Border-Gavaskar series, the 31-year-old returned to face India and easily took the crown as Australia’s best and most consistent batsman of the summer.

According to Head’s latest statistics, he also amassed a huge total of 448 runs – the most of any player in Pat Cummins’ side.

But although the laid-back South Australian struggled to get a big score towards the end of the series, he did help the hosts to victory at the SCG, with an unbeaten score of 34.

Before that he had hit 89 in Perth, 140 in Adelaide and 152 runs in Brisbane – three hefty totals with Head also picking up back-to-back Player-of-the-match awards.

In light of his brilliant form, the 31-year-old revealed he had gone to great lengths to impose a ‘secret liquor ban’ on himself in a bid to give Australia every possible advantage and secure victory over India.

Head (centre) would strike back-to-back centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane and make a final score of 34 in Sydney to seal victory in the series

Head explained that he would enjoy a few well-deserved beers with his teammates after the series, before revealing that he had not had a drink in around three months.

The vice-captain told Fox Cricket after the Test: ‘I’m devastated.

‘I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next few days.

‘But like I said, we now have 12 days off before we go to Sri Lanka and I’m going to use every bit of it.

‘It has been a tough journey. I’m looking forward to some cold ones (after the game).

‘I haven’t been drinking for a while, so I’ll take care of myself and our attention will quickly turn to the next step. So (we are) very satisfied.”

Aussie Larrikin has reversed a recent slump in form after failing to register a big score in Australia’s recent series against New Zealand and perform against India.

Head had confused some fans with his bizarre celebration during the Boxing Day Test, in which he stuck his index finger into a circle created by his other fingers.

After the Sydney Test, he joked with fans on Instagram, repeating the celebration with a pint of beer

He spoke about the mental and physical strain a five-day Test can have on a player and claimed it was ‘nice to come out on the winning side’.

His decision not to drink may also be a sign of his maturity.

He also revealed that it’s not just a physical toll taken on the players during a five-day test of such intensity.

“It was five crazy tests,” Head told Fox. “It takes a lot out of us and the boys who survived all five are looking forward to a bit of time off because it has been crazy.

‘The media has taken it in different directions, in different stories, some of which I disagree with and some of which I agree with.

“It’s a bloody tough tour for them (India) and for us, and it’s nice to come out on the winning side of things and it’ll be fun to enjoy and think about in the coming days.”

Head suffered a backlash in the Boxing Day Test after appearing to make a circle with his hand and putting his index finger through it after dismissing Rishabh Pant.

While some blushed in celebration, there was a funny reason behind the gesture, with Head pretending to dip his red-hot bowling finger into a bucket of ice after dismissing the Indian batsman.

On Sunday night, he repeated the feat, but this time he posted a photo of himself sticking his finger into a larger glass, captioning the photo: “Ooppss.”