Australia opener Will Pucovski may be forced to miss the final Test against India starting in Brisbane on Friday after sustaining a shoulder injury.
Key points:
- Pucovski was injured while fielding for Australia on the final day of the SCG Test
- Australian selectors have delayed making a decision on his availability
- India’s Jasprit Bumrah is under an injury cloud ahead of the Gabba Test
Pucovski suffered a shoulder subluxation injury while diving in the field on day five of the third Test at the SCG.
Cricket Australia said Pucovski, who scored a half-century in his Test debut in Sydney, would continue his rehabilitation before a decision was made on whether he would play at the Gabba.
Meanwhile, the visitors are scrambling to sort out their Test XI after Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin helped salvage a draw in Sydney on Monday, to leave the four-match series level at 1-1.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is in doubt for the Gabba Test because of an abdominal injury.
Bumrah received treatment for a minor abdominal strain at the SCG but continued to bowl.
India has been weakened during the series by the absence of quicks Mohammed Shami (arm), Umesh Yadav (calf), Ishant Sharma (side) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh).
Batsman KL Rahul has returned home with a wrist injury and Ravindra Jadeja is sidelined with a dislocated thumb, while Vihari (hamstring) is likely to be an enforced omission for the fourth Test.
Ashwin (back), Rishabh Pant (arm) and Cheteshwar Pujara (finger) pushed through the pain barrier at the SCG, earning praise from skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
Opener Mayank Agarwal, who loomed as a likely inclusion for Vihari if he was forced out of the fourth Test, is now getting scans on a hand injury.
Regular India captain Virat Kohli, who welcomed the birth of his first child late on Monday night, headlines the list of unavailable talent.
Both the Australian and Indian squads arrived in Brisbane on Tuesday in the wake of the spiteful SCG Test.
Australia captain Tim Paine fronted an unscheduled media conference earlier on Tuesday morning to apologise for his behaviour during the Test.
Stump microphones picked up some barbs that Paine, who has helped turn around the Australian squad’s image after the Cape Town cheating scandal in 2018, directed at Ashwin during India’s second innings.
“I felt I had a really poor game in terms of my leadership and I think that affected our team,” he said.
ABC/AAP
