Will Pucovski and Joe Burns are likely to open for Australia against India in Adelaide.
Ahead of the four-match Test series, Australian spin legend Shane Warne has warned Will Pucovski and asked him to be ready to “face a baptism by fire” if he makes his Test debut in the series opener Day-Night Test match against India at Adelaide Oval on December 17, 2020.
Regular opener David Warner’s injury has opened the door for Pucovski to finally realize his Test dream, as he is highly likely to open for Australia alongside Joe Burns in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – the Day-Night encounter with the pink ball against India later this month.
Well, the spin master Warner has claimed that it wouldn’t be really easy at all for the youngster to face one of the world’s best bowling attack under lights with a pink ball in Adelaide.
Warne said on Channel Nine on Tuesday (December 1): “It's never easy at all. Pucovski will be playing against some of the best bowlers in the world. Under lights with the pink ball in Adelaide. It’s not going to be easy, but he has to grab the opportunity and hopefully, Pucovski can do that.”
On Australia’s opening combination, the commentator said: “I think it's going to be Pucovski and Burns. Pucovski is there and it was either him or Burns and now without Warner, I presume those two will probably be the leading candidates. But we don't know, it could be someone like Shaun Marsh or D'Arcy Short, who they might drag in as well.”
Meanwhile, Warne believes that the Indian cricket team would struggle in the upcoming Test series majorly because of the absence of captain Virat Kohli after the first Test in Adelaide.
He signed off by saying, “I won’t write India off, but I think they are going to struggle without Virat Kohli after the 1st Test. They are going to throw everything into that Test.”