SCG Test: Tim Paine confirms David Warner’s availability for Sydney Test; hints at more changes in Playing XI vs India

Dixit Bhargav | 06/01/2021
SCG Test: Tim Paine confirms David Warner's availability for Sydney Test; hints at more changes in Playing XI vs India

Tim Paine confirms David Warner’s availability: The Australian Test captain has all but confirmed the experienced opener’s return.

Australia opening batsman David Warner will play a Test match after a year when Australia take on India at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow.

Warner, who had missed the first two Tests due to a groin injury, has recovered to the extent that he will open the batting in the New Year’s Test. The same was all but confirmed by Australia Test captain Tim Paine who was speaking in a media conference in Sydney on Wednesday morning.

“Davey’s [David Warner] been awesome, he brings really high intensity and fills guys with confidence around him. He’s a player that you love having on your side.

“He’s always got plenty to say, really energetic, very professional and I’ve always loved playing. He’s a player in this team guys love to have in the side, so he’s made an instant impact with that energy and intensity that he brings,” Paine said about Warner’s comeback.

Tim Paine confirms David Warner’s availability

With Warner coming back, Australia have confirmed that the southpaw will replace Joe Burns at the top of the order. However, Paine didn’t shy away from stating that the hosts are likely to make more changes to their XI.

If the build-up to the third Test to be believed, uncapped batsman Will Pucovski will be handed a Test debut tomorrow and will open the batting alongside Warner.

After the likes of Chris Rogers, Phil Hughes, Ed Cowan, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris, Pucovski will become Warner’s 12th opening partner within a decade.

In such a situation, makeshift opener Matthew Wade will return to his usual position in the middle-order. Former vice-captain Travis Head, who had received severe criticism from former Australia captain Ian Chappell last month, is the most likeliest to vacate a middle-order spot for Wade.

“We’ve got a team but we’re just not releasing it at the moment. The boys are still training so we’ll get through that first, unscathed and then we’ll try to get a team out as quickly as we can after that. Obviously with David playing and potentially more, there’s some conversations that need to be had first,” Paine added.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Australia David Warner India India tour of Australia 2020-21 Tim Paine Will Pucovski

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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