Travis Head and Mitch Marsh primed for Test cricket return after wonderful news with wives

Travis Head and Mitch Marsh have both returned to training ahead of Australia's Test series against India after spending some time away from the sport to be with their wives who recently gave birth. Head and his wife Jess welcomed their second child earlier this month, a baby boy named Harrison George Head. While Marsh and his wife Greta celebrated the birth of their first child, a baby girl yet to be named, on Sunday night.

Head opted to sit out Australia’s consecutive one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan to spend time with his young family. And while the middle-order dynamo admits he could happily play cricket every day, he believes the extended break has been just what he needs to be rejuvenated and to get back to his best against India.

The World Cup hero re-joined the Australian squad this week, having not played since South Australia's Sheffield Shield clash with NSW in early October when he made 30 and 10. It is in stark contrast to the lead-in last summer, when Australia were coming off the busiest year in their cricket history after a tour of India, an away Ashes, and the successful ODI World Cup campaign. "I could play every single day if I wanted to," said Head, adding he had never found fatigue impacted him.

"For me, it's about how I can maximise my family time. I want to have a family when I come home, and playing every single day doesn't allow me to do that. But tired, or not tired, it doesn't really faze me. I've been through the grind before, but I'm feeling good."

Mitch Marsh and wife Greta welcome first child

While all-rounder Marsh has also enjoyed some time away so he can support his wife Greta, who gave birth to the couple's first child on Sunday night. Yet Marsh still turned up to train at the WACA Ground on Monday, less than 24 hours after the couple became a family of three as they welcomed a baby girl into the world.

Marsh is exempt from media commitments ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series that gets underway at Optus Stadium on Friday so he can focus on his family, with Head the man standing in to answer the questions. And the Aussie batsman said the whole squad is just thrilled for Mitch and Greta.

"Everyone was very eager for him, very excited, and it was a good feeling this morning coming here and seeing Mitch, and he’s going well,” Head said at The West Test launch.

“Everyone was over the moon for him, and he was the same old Mitch. It’s an exciting week, and he’ll get what he needs to do."

In the absence of fellow all-rounder Cam Green, who will miss the entire summer of cricket through injury, Marsh is expected to pick up extra overs during the five-match series against India. The all-rounder, like Head, took some time away from the sport to focus on quality time with his family and therefore didn't feature in Australia's T20 or ODI series against Pakistan.

Marsh, however, played two Sheffield Shield games last month, where he got through some overs. He also spent close to an hour bowling at the WACA on Monday before taking to the nets with the bat.

with AAP