Melbourne, November 3 (Udaipur Kiran) — Australian batter Travis Head has opted out of the final two T20 Internationals against India to prepare for the upcoming Ashes series. He will now represent South Australia in the Sheffield Shield as part of his red-ball practice ahead of the England tour.

According to Cricket Australia, Head will feature in South Australia’s next match against Tasmania in Hobart next week. This will mark his first first-class appearance since July, when he last played during Australia’s tour of the West Indies.

Head’s recent form in white-ball cricket has been below expectations — across his last eight innings in ODIs and T20Is combined, he has crossed the 30-run mark only once. Since his brilliant 142-run innings against South Africa in August, the left-hander has struggled to play a significant knock.

Known as one of Australia’s most impactful Test batters, Head is expected to bat at No. 5 during the Ashes, where his attacking stroke play often shifts the momentum in Australia’s favour. Sources suggest that Head was given the option to choose whether he wanted to play a four-day match before the England Tests, and he decided in favour of it to sharpen his red-ball game.

The upcoming Sheffield Shield round has now become particularly exciting, with most of Australia’s Test players expected to participate.

Josh Hazlewood, who left the T20I squad after the second match in Melbourne, and Mitchell Starc will play for New South Wales against Victoria, alongside Nathan Lyon. Sean Abbott will also join the state side after the Hobart T20I.

Steve Smith, who recently struck a century (118) against Queensland at the Gabba, will play his second consecutive Shield match. Scott Boland will return for Victoria after being rested in the previous round, while Cameron Green will represent Western Australia against Queensland — expected to resume bowling duties.

Marnus Labuschagne is also keen to get more red-ball practice before the Test series, while Matt Renshaw could be tested in the opening slot. For Tasmania, Beau Webster will be in action, and Alex Carey along with Brendan Doggett will feature for South Australia.

Meanwhile, leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has been released from the T20I squad to play for New South Wales in the One-Day Cup against Queensland. He was serving as a backup for Adam Zampa, who is currently awaiting the birth of his second child.

As planned earlier, left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis has recovered from injury and will join the Australian T20I squad for the final two matches.

The India vs Australia T20I series currently stands level at 1-1, with India having clinched victory in the first match at Hobart by five wickets.