Australia Cricket Team head coach Justin Langer has revealed that David Warner is ‘very very close’ to close to playing the third Test against India with two days still to go for the contest. The penultimate Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy commences from January 7 (Thursday) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Incidentally, Warner missed out on the first two red-ball matches owing to a hamstring pull he suffered during the ODIs which also kept him out of the T20I leg. While he continues to recover, Australia is desperate to have him back at the top-order after their recent struggle which saw Joe Burns loses his place in the squad.
David Warner very likely to play in Sydney – Justin Langer
Burns has managed to cross the double-digit mark only on one occasion in four innings. As a result, he was released from the squad and the management is keen to have David Warner back to revamp their top-order. Addressing the media, Justin Langer said that the southpaw is very very likely to play the game after having a couple of full net sessions.
Also Read: KL Rahul Ruled Out Of The Remainder Of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“He looks like he’s moving pretty well. He’s very determined to play,” said Langer. “I’d say he’s looking very, very, very likely to play the Test match. He’s going to be playing through pain though. It’s not so much in the muscle but in the tendon area,” he added.
On the other hand, the 21-year-old Will Pucovski is shaping as David Warner’s opening partner after being given the all-clear from a concussion. But Justin Langer maintained that the youngster still has a few boxes to tick to make it to the playing XI given his long history of concussion.
Also Read: Pragyan Ojha Slams Australia’s Tactics To Get Under India’s Skin Ahead Of Third Test
“Will has still got a few boxes to tick today then we weigh up whether this Test match is right, or the next Test match is right. Time will tell,” said Langer.
The series is currently tied up at 1-1 and both the teams will be desperate to take an unassailable lead in the next outing in Sydney.