Warner’s Woes Continue: Australian Opener Ruled Out of Final Two India Tests with Elbow Fracture
Australia’s struggling opening batter David Warner has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series due to an elbow fracture, further dealing a blow to the visitors.
Warner suffered a hairline fracture in his left elbow after copping a blow from Mohammed Siraj during the first innings of the second Test in Delhi. Although he batted to score 15 in Australia’s first innings, subsequent scans revealed the extent of the injury.
Injuries and poor performance
Even before his injury, Warner had been finding it tough in India, only managing scores of 1, 10 and 15 from his three innings. The three failures brought his average in India down to 21.78 from 19 Test innings.
Travis Head, who filled in for Warner in the second innings in Delhi, is set to open the batting in Indore.
Head made an enterprising 43 at the top and looked in excellent touch having only previously opened twice in first-class cricket in a County Championship match for Worcestershire in 2018.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald stressed on Monday that Head opening was not a long-term solution in all conditions but that he was well-suited to open in the subcontinent.
The absence of Warner will be a significant loss for the Australian side, as he has been one of the most experienced and successful batsmen in the team. However, the team is unlikely to call up any batters as cover and will proceed with their current squad.
Return for ODI series
Warner will return home to Sydney to recover, but he is expected to be fit in time for the three-match ODI series after the four-match Test series. The ODI series is set to begin on March 17 in Mumbai.
Captain Pat Cummins, who flew home immediately after the Delhi Test for family reasons, is due to return later in the week and is expected to play in Indore, but his situation remains fluid. Cameron Green will be fit to play in Indore.
He faced fast bowling in the nets for the first time during the second Test in a net session against Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc after he was very close to being selected in the second Test.
Australia have already lost Josh Hazlewood from the tour due to his nagging Achilles. Mitchell Starc is set to be fit to play in Indore, while Mitchell Swepson is also set to return to the squad having flown home for the birth of his first child.
No replacement for Warner
Despite the absence of Warner, Australia is unlikely to call up any batters as cover. Travis Head is set to open the batting in Indore after his impressive performance in the second innings in Delhi.
“We did discuss before coming over here that if we were to lose an opening batter, that Trav would be one we’d look to put up there. We feel in the subcontinental conditions that he can get off to the fast starts, which he showed,” McDonald said.
Although the team is currently facing several setbacks, they are still optimistic about their chances of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
David Warner, one of the most experienced and successful batsmen in the Australian cricket team, has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to an elbow fracture. His absence will be a significant blow for the visitors, who have already lost Josh Hazlewood due to an Achilles injury. Despite this, the team is unlikely to call up any batters as cover, and Travis Head will replace Warner in Indore. Warner will return home to Sydney to recover, but he is expected to return to India in time for the three-match ODI series.
