A struggling Australia is prepared to risk playing seasoned starter David Warner in Test 3 against India even if it is not 100% fit, assistant coach Andrew McDonald said Thursday.
The third test is scheduled to be played in Sydney from January 7-11.
In the absence of Warner, who was recovering from a torn groin muscle, Australia’s batting failed miserably in the first two games.
“That is a clear and real option. I may not be 100% fit, who is coming off an injury? You never know until it comes off, “McDonald said during a virtual press conference.
“Look, if he’s 90-95% and the conversation is that he’s fit enough to be able to go out and perform his duties for the team, then I’m sure it will be a conversation that the coach has with the player.
“Most of the time, Justin (Langer) is quite open with the players in terms of holding them accountable around that.” Warner has been named to the squad alongside young Victorian Will Pucovski for the third round, as Australia looks to bounce back from the eight. -Loss of tickets in the Boxing Day Test here. McDonald said Warner is optimistic about his return to Sydney.
“He (Warner) is very optimistic that he should be ready, which is great news for us. We are very excited to have him back.
“I’m sure he’s excited to be back in the group too. There is nothing worse than being injured when you’re at the top of your game like David has been for a period of time. ” Pucovski is also set for a possible debut after the youngster suffered a concussion in the first warm-up match against the Indians earlier this month.
“They’ll test him as long as it takes to be available for the pick and potentially open up hitting. So it’s nice to have a little depth out there. ” One of the biggest setbacks for the Australians so far has been a rare drop in the form of hitting mainstay Steve Smith, who has so far scored just 10 runs in four innings of the series.
“I wouldn’t be too quick to judge that Steve Smith doesn’t look good in the middle. He looks pretty solid and hits the ball well into the nets, “McDonald said.
When asked if life in a bio-bubble was affecting Smith, he said: “No, none at all. Obviously we work closely in the UAE with the Rajasthan Royals and there is nothing to suggest that there is a link there.
“I’m sure you ideally would rather be with your family for Christmas and Justin addressed that. Unfortunately, some players and staff members will be disconnected from the family around Christmas time, not ideal, no question.
“Yes, it is a challenge to recover. The best players in the world usually bounce back. He (Smith) is in a really good place to be honest, watch Sydney Test. ” The assistant coach had a similar opinion for Marnus Labuschagne, who missed the fifty in Adelaide and Melbourne.
“Technically, they are ready to go. It is about how they score their runs and how they are going to combat these attacks from the Indian bowlers. Yes, they want to make sure they are technically in a good space, but now it’s more about the method. ” The Australian batsmen were strangled by the side of the legs with a brilliant bowling strategy by the Indians.
“Probably the question for me at the moment is how technically or technically India has prepared and can probably control particularly with that kind of side-leg theory, so to speak,” he said.
In the second test, the captain of India, Ajinkya Rahane, introduced his star off course, Ravichandran Ashwin, already in the eleventh, and he delivered by firing Matthew Wade and Smith in his first spell to help his team defeat to Australia for 195 in his first innings.
McDonald said they were surprised to see the bounce and turn on the MCG window.
“I think one of the things that really surprised everyone was the surface at the MCG on Boxing Day. It has not been what we normally assume to be a flat force.
“We didn’t expect the top to play a big role at MCG on the first day in particular. It spun and bounced off the main part of the surface. So for me, the wicket probably surprised us a bit.
“We probably couldn’t adapt fast enough during that time period to combat the Indian bowlers,” McDonald concluded.
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