Justin Langer uncertain of Warner's fitness for opening Test
Australian head coach Justin Langer is uncertain of senior batsman David Warner's fitness. The star opener was ruled out of the white-ball games against India after sustaining a groin injury in the second ODI. Another opener D'Arcy Short has been roped in as his replacement for the same. Meanwhile, Warner's availability for the opening Test also remains uncertain at the moment.
Langer opened up on Warner's injury. "He's strained his abductor in his groins and they tell me it's a very painful injury. It looked like he got shot by a gun. He was in incredible pain. We've just arrived in Canberra, so we won't see him again for probably five or six days until we get back to Sydney," he said.
"I'm not holding my breath he'll be ready for the first Test, but he's the sort of professional who'll be doing everything possible to be ready for it. We'll see what happens, but he's going to be a loss that's for sure," he added.
Warner's injury will open the doors for Joe Burns and Will Pucovski to open the innings. Earlier, there were several speculations regarding the choice of openers for the Test series. While Burns has been Australia's preferred opener in Test cricket of late, Pucovski has the back of runs. The latter has been in sublime touch in the domestic circuit.
Langer believes the tour games ahead of Test series will give further clarity on selection. "I've said it so many times, the hardest part of the job is selecting the teams, but we've got an Australia A game starting in a few days and it'll be a good opportunity for those guys against the Indian A side to put their hand up," concluded Langer.
Although Warner appeared to be in pain and limped off the field in the match, he still has plenty of time to recover. One practice match will be played on the sidelines of second T20I in Sydney. The other tour game will be played from December 11-13. Meanwhile, the Test series will begin with the Day/Night Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.
