India vs Australia: Justin Langer is optimistic about Cameron Green's availability for 1st Test

India vs Australia: Justin Langer is optimistic about Cameron Green’s availability for 1st Test
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India vs Australia: Justin Langer is optimistic about Cameron Green’s availability for 1st Test  

Highlights

Australia head coach Justin Langer is being optimistic about Cameron Green’s availability for the upcoming day-night Test between India and Australia, which will go underway on Thursday in Adelaide.

Australia head coach Justin Langer is being optimistic about Cameron Green's availability for the upcoming day-night Test between India and Australia, which will go underway on Thursday in Adelaide.

During the practice match for the pink ball Test on Friday, Green was hit fiercely by a straight drive from Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The Australian all-rounder showed mild symptoms of concussion before the Australian A side decided to replace Green with Pat Rowe in the game that was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

With David Warner and Will Pucovski ruled out of the day-night Test and considering Joe Burns' current struggling form, Australia cannot afford to miss Green for the Border Gavaskar series' opening match at the Adelaide Oval.

"Fingers crossed (about Green's availability). The guys from Australia A arrived a couple of hours ago. He turned up with a big smile on his face. [There's a] massive opportunity potentially ahead for him to make his Test debut. He looks in really good spirits. He's got training tomorrow and Wednesday. Fingers crossed he'll be right to go -- he's a real talent," ESPNcricinfo quoted Langer, as saying to Channel Seven.

In the first practice match between Australia A and the touring Indian side, Green scored an unbeaten knock of 125, including 12 fours and one six. Apart from that, Green had also dismissed Indian openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw in the second innings of the match.

In December, after replacing injured Warner in the third One-Day International (ODI), had praised the "quality" of the Team India's spin attack and had made a special mention for Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's "beautiful" bowling.

"They're class bowlers, especially their spinners. I haven't faced quality like that. Jadeja is just a beautiful bowler who knows exactly what he's trying to do. Trying to spin a couple away from you and dart one back in. It was class bowling. You can do as much research and watch as much footage as you can, which I did, to get a better understanding of how they bowled, but it's a different beast when you're actually facing them out in the middle. It took me a couple of overs to get used to it. But I take a lot out of it," Green said in an interview.

Australia have added all-rounder Moises Henriques in their squad ahead of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval. Earlier, Marcus Harris was added in the squad after opening batsman Warner was ruled out of the first Test following the abductor injury he sustained during the ODI series, which the hosts won by defeating India 2-1.

The New South Wales all-rounder Henriques has been called in for Pucovski, the 22-year-old batter who was ruled out of the first Test after he was concussed on the final day of the first tour match at Drummoyne Oval last week. Late on day three, Pucovski was hit in the helmet by a bouncer - the latest entry on a long list of head knocks the young batsman has endured.

While it is understood that Pucovski and Warner are targeting to return to the squad in time for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), their participation still remains in doubt.

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