While Travis Head's immediate focus will be on regaining his place in Australia's Test side for the second match of the Border-Gavaskar series in Delhi, former wicket-keeper Ian Healy has revealed Head is a future candidate to captain the side.
Despite being the same age as Pat Cummins, Head could ultimately play on for longer than the quick.
Cummins has had well-noted injury struggles earlier in his career, and batsmen tend to play on far longer than quick bowlers, who get through a large workload in every match.
Head, who has been captaining South Australia since the age of 21, seemed to have cemented his spot in the Test side's middle order up until the toss in Nagpur, when he was sensationally dumped, with Matthew Renshaw and Peter Handscomb both selected to run the number five and six positions.
Speaking on SEN Radio though, Healy said he believes Head is a possible future captain, with Steve Smith and David Warner both close to retirement, while Marnus Labuschagne he believes isn't "a captaincy type."
“(He's) a possible captain. Who's our next captain? I don't think Marnus is a captaincy type… and Travis Head is. He captained South Australia since he was 21 and we're mucking him around at a time we need to be revving him up,” Healy told SENQ's Pat and Heals.
Healy also suggested Head could open the batting for Australia in the future.
There has already been some speculation he may do so in the second Test, replacing the out-of-form David Warner at the top of the order, although that will be confirmed when the coin is tossed in the Indian capital.
Head already opens in one-day cricket, and Healy believes he will take the role in Test cricket following the retirement of either Khawaja or Warner.
“I think he'll be our opener before long,” Healy stated.
“He'll replace one of Khawaja and Warner, whoever goes first. They might both go at the same time, and Travis Head will be our Australia opener.”
That comes despite a number of opening batsmen putting their hand up in Sheffield Shield cricket, led by Tasmania's Tim Ward, and South Australia's Henry Hunt.
