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Australia opener David Warner has been ruled out of the last two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India after suffering a fracture in his elbow in the second Test in Delhi.
Warner will now fly to Sydney to recover from his injury. However, he is expected to return to India and join the Australia squad ahead of the three-match ODI series starting from March 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Earlier in the second Test in Delhi, 36-year-old Warner got a hit on his elbow by a bouncer bowled from India pacer Mohammed Siraj. Later on, it was found that Warner had suffered a hairline fracture in his left elbow. Just two overs later, he was hit on his helmet by another bouncer from Siraj, which later ruled him out of the second Test after showing symptoms of delayed concussion.
Despite Warner getting recovered from his concussion, his elbow fracture is still serious. Earlier, it was thought that his elbow injury will get recovered within a few days and he will be available for the third Test in Indore.
However, it is now confirmed that Warner will be missing the remainder of the Test series against India and is expected to return home. Warner has struggled to score runs in this Test series and made scores of 1, 10 and 15 in his three innings.
“David Warner has been ruled out of the Qantas test tour of India and will return home,” CA said in a statement issued this afternoon.
“Warner was struck on the elbow in the second Test in Delhi and sustained a hairline fracture.
“After further assessment, he will require a period of rehabilitation which will preclude any further involvement in the remainder of the Test series.
“It is currently anticipated that he will return to India for the three One-Day Internationals which follow the Test Series.”
In Warner’s absence, Travis Head will likely open the innings with the regular left-handed opener Usman Khawaja. Head looked in good touch in the second innings of the Delhi Test and made an impressive 43. Previously, Head had opened just twice in his entire career. He opened the innings in first-class cricket in a County Championship match for Worcestershire in 2018.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald on Monday confirmed that Head will be the first-choice opener in Warner’s absence but will not be considered as a permanent solution who can open the innings in all conditions. McDonald mentioned that Head is someone who is a good opening choice, especially in subcontinent conditions.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Cameron Green is expected to be fit to play in the third Test in Indore starting from March 1. He was very close to playing in the second Test in Delhi but was later not picked citing concerns over his finger. After his injury, he faced fast bowling for the first time by playing against Scott Boland and left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc in the nets during the second Test in Delhi.
On Tuesday, Green was seen practising alone at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi to keep his pace bowling loads up for the remaining Tests in the series. On the other hand, the rest of the players in the Australian squad has taken a break for a few days following the disappointing six-wicket loss against India in Delhi.
Earlier on Monday, Australia lost their regular pace bowler Josh Hazlewood after he was ruled out of the Test series due to Achilles tendonitis. However, there are some good news for Australia as left-arm pacer Starc is said to be fit for the upcoming Test in Indore.
Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, who went back home before the start of the first Test in Nagpur due to the birth of his first child, is also expected to return ahead of the third Test.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins has already returned home due to family health reasons. However, it is expected that he will be joining the squad ahead of the third Test in Indore as Australia will be desperate to bounce back in the series after they failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia may also send some additional players in the squad back home for playing Sheffield Shield but the final decision on it will only be taken over the coming days.
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