Debate rages as who will open with Warner in Tests- Pucovski or Burns.
Head coach Justin Langer feels that Pucovski is capable of batting anywhere in the batting order when the time comes for his debut and has hinted that he might be slotted in the middle order in the upcoming Tests series against India, which starts in December.
Victoria batsman Pucovski has hogged the limelight after he smashed two double centuries in Sheffield Shield this season and it has been debated that he might open with David Warner, leaving Joe Burns’ spot in Test XI in limbo.
"We think very, very highly of Will. We picked him as a 19-year-old, picked him as a 20-year-old, now we're picking him as a 21-year-old (22), so he's got enormous talent. He's a gun player, he's knocking hard and the opportunity hopefully will come for him at some point, whether it's in this series or a series to come," ESPNCricinfo quoted Langer as saying.
The Australian coach believes Pucovski's stint in the Sheffield Shield has given the batsman the flexibility to bat anywhere.
"For Will, it's about where the opportunities come. My view, not just as the Australian coach but for the last 30 years I think, it's been drummed into me if you can bat top three in Shield cricket you can bat anywhere in the order. It's a bit different if you're more specifically a five or six in Shield cricket because that's where you've got to bat in Test cricket," Langer said.
"If you bat in the top three scoring hundreds you can literally bat anywhere in the order. That's where someone like Will, who's opening the batting for Victoria, comes in. He's batted at three, and it gives him the flexibility to bat anywhere," he added.
The ODI series will begin this Friday in Sydney and will be followed by a 3-match T20I series. The first Test between India and Australia will be a day-night contest in Adelaide and the four-match Border-Gavaskar series will be a part of the World Test Championship (WTC).
(ANI inputs)