“I’m still available as a backup keeper”: Peter Handscomb aims comeback in the Australian team for India tour 2023 as a backup wicket-keeper

The Australian team will travel to India next year to play a 4-match test series, and this will be a very important tour for them. Australia generally pick a small pool of players for the home test matches, but they are expected to pick a significantly larger pool for the Indian tour, and Peter Handscomb is aiming to make a return.

Handscomb last played for Australia in 2019, and he is piling runs in the domestic circuit at the moment. In the last Sheffield Shield, he was the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 697 runs at 49.78 with the help of 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries. In the ongoing season, he has scored 571 runs at 81.57 with the help of 2 centuries and 1 half-century.

The ongoing form of Handscomb certainly deserves a lot of praise, and his ability to play spin makes him a very good candidate to be selected for the Indian tour. He is even ready to do wicket-keeping in order to force his comeback.

Peter Handscomb aims comeback in the Australian team for India tour 2023

Peter Handscomb said that he knows that are conversations about him being included in the Australian team for the Indian test series, and he called it a promising thing. Although, he insists that he wants to be realistic about his chances. Handscomb said that the current team is full of quality, and no matter how many runs he scores, they should be a space in order to fit in.

“I can score as many runs as I want but there still needs to be a spot at the next level, and at the moment they’re playing pretty good cricket,” Handscomb said.

55 in the first innings, 75 in his second knock. He hasn’t played a Test since 2019, but is it time for Peter Handscomb to get a recall? 👀 pic.twitter.com/CyNEiA1Nv4

— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 25, 2022

Handscomb is an excellent player of spin, but he is also targetting the backup keeper’s role in order to slot in the side. Currently, Josh Inglis is the preferred backup keeper to Alex Carey in the Australian team. The last summer was great for Inglis as well, but he has been disappointing in a couple of Sheffield Shield games this season.

“I pick up the gloves just to make sure that they also know that I’m still available as a backup keeper or can take them if need be. That’s also an important skill to have in your bag.”