Australia have suffered a big blow ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as veteran opener David Warner has been ruled out of the next week’s first Test against India.

“Warner, who injured his adductor muscle during the second one-day international against India, will remain in Sydney to continue his rehabilitation while the majority of the Australia squad travel to Adelaide on Wednesday,” Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement on Wednesday (December 9).

See Also: Candice Warner jokingly suggests sex could be behind David Warner's groin injury

Commenting on his injury, Warner highlighted running between the wickets and fielding as key areas which are likely to be affected.

“I feel I have made great progress in a short amount of time and it’s best for me to stay here in Sydney to continue working on getting back to full fitness,” Warner said in the statement.

“The injury feels a lot better, but I need to be able to satisfy in my own mind and to my teammates that it is 100 percent ready for test match conditions.

“That includes running between the wickets and being agile in the field. Right now I feel I am short of being able to play at peak fitness and another 10 days will make a difference.”

Australia’s opening woes have amplified by injury to Will Pucovski, who coped a blow on his helmet during the warm-up match against India A on Tuesday (December 8).

Moreover, Joe Burns, Warner’s opening partner in the last home summer, has been struggling for form in recent times.

The battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney (January 7-11) and Brisbane (January 15-19), respectively.

(Inputs from Reuters)