David Warner
David Warner (Credits: Twitter)

David Warner could miss the third Test against India too as he is still “having a bit of trouble running at full speed”. The southpaw missed the first Test of the ongoing series and has been ruled out of the upcoming Boxing Day Test too as he races to be fit in time for the third Test, scheduled to start on January 7.

The Australia opener has been sidelined since last month after suffering a groin injury while fielding in the second ODI against India. He has made good progress so far but is still not fully fit. The left-hander batted in the MCG nets on Wednesday and while coach Justin Langer was happy to see his player back training, he added the opener is still having some discomfort when he tries to move at top pace.

David Warner
David Warner (Credits: CA)

“We’re very hopeful,” Langer said when asked if Warner will be fit for the third Test.

“He batted very well yesterday in the nets, he’s moving well (and) he’s as enthusiastic as ever. He’s got so much energy and passion for the game and he’ll be doing everything possible to get out onto the ground.

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“He’s having a bit of trouble running at full speed. When he gets back and feels confident with it, of course he’ll come back into our team. We’ll just monitor him, and fingers crossed he’ll be back. We know how dynamic he is, there’s no one more dynamic in the game with his running between the wickets and with the way he fields. He wants to make sure he’s 100 per cent fit for that because he gets great energy personally and as a group, we get great energy out of that,” Langer was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

‘It’s so healthy for Australian cricket’:

David Warner’s absence has spared Langer and his fellow selectors from making a tough call on who will drop out of the side when the left-hander is fit again. In his absence, Matthew Wade has been promoted as an opener while both Travis Head and Cameron played in the Adelaide Test. But once David Warner returns, one among the three is likely to be dropped. Speaking about it, Langer said that the competition within the team is healthy for Australian cricket.

“That’s all part of the journey of every individual player. You are literally under the pump every time you play for Australia. Every player is (and) that’s how it should be. It’s so healthy for Australian cricket,” he said.

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Matthew Wade
Matthew Wade (Credits: Twitter)

“It’s tough when you’re in the top six batters because you’ve always got people knocking hard on your door to take your spot, so you’ve got to be on your toes all the time. Everyone knows where we’re at. These things have a funny way of working themselves out and the guys who are making runs, they’ll keep getting selected. That’s usually the way it works,” he added.

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