'Harris to open if Pucovski remains unfit', says Justin Langer
Hosts Australia are still uncertain regarding the fitness status of opener Will Pucovski. The young batsman is presently undergoing rehabilitation after getting struck on his shoulder during the SCG Test. On Tuesday, Cricket Australia revealed that a call on him will be taken soon. Now, Australian head coach Justin Langer has hinted at roping in Marcus Harris as Pucovski's replacement for the Gabba Test.
Pucovski suffered a shoulder injury during the historic Sydney Test, his debut game in the longest format. He got injured while diving on the field in the fourth innings. Notably, he scored a handy 62 in the first innings as Australia put up 338.
Pucovski seemed to have solved Australia's opening woes after Joe Burns and Matthew Wade couldn't sail through. His comeback from a concussion resulted in Burns' expulsion. Meanwhile, senior batsman David Warner too was recalled even though he didn't recover fully from his groin injury. Although Warner looked far from his best in Sydney, Australia will likely back him for the Brisbane Test.
Speaking on the same, Langer said, "Will had a sore shoulder before he fell, he was going to have a scan after that day's play anyway, just to see what was happening." "We will see how he pulls up today, we are really hopeful that he will get up and if he doesn't, then the obvious thing would be Marcus Harris would come in."
In the absence of Pucovski, Harris remains the only opener in the reserves, considering Burns' poor form. The left-handed batsman played the two tour games, having registered scores of 26, 5, 35 and 25*. He last featured in the 2019 Ashes series for Australia. Overall, Harris has racked up 385 runs from nine Tests at an average of 24.06, so far.
India made a terrific comeback on the final day of the SCG Test, which was drawn eventually. An astonishing 97 by Rishabh Pant turned the fortunes of Team India early in the day, while Vihari (23*) and Ashwin (39*) endured the final few hours to ensure India a safe passage. Now, the series-decider will be played in Brisbane from January 15.
