Australia vs India: Will Pucovski Out Of Gabba Test As Australia Confirm Playing XI For Fourth Test

Australia have suffered a big injury setback ahead of the fourth and final Test against India at the Gabba with their young opener Will Pucovski out of the game with a shoulder injury. Australia captain Tim Paine confirmed the news on Thursday while also confirming that left-handed batsman Marcus Harris will replace him at the top of the order.

After missing the first two Tests due to concussion, Will Pucovski made his Test debut during the third Test in Sydney last week and made an instant impression. The highly-rated opener scored a fine fifty in the first innings to help Australia score 338. But the game ended on a painful note for him as he injured his shoulder while fielding on the final day of the match at the SCG.

Will Pucovski did not train at the Gabba on Wednesday and only had a short hit in the indoor nets on morning, but did not take part in fielding drills with his teammates. After the training, Tim Paine confirmed that the young opener won’t be a part of the team for the final Test.

“He tried to train this morning and didn’t quite come up,” Paine said.

“He’ll have a bit of work to do with our medicos to see where he goes from here, but he’s obviously missing this Test match and Marcus Harris will replace him,” added the Australia skipper.

Harris’ last appearance in Tests was in the 2019 Ashes. The southpaw had played all four Tests of India’s tour of Australia two summers ago, top-scoring with 79 at the SCG. Having averaged just 24.06 in 9 Tests so far, Harris would be desperate to make the latest chance count.

“Harry’s just a known (quantity) for us and a very good player,” Paine said. “He’s been working our backside off in our hub for a while now. He’s had huge numbers in Sheffield Shield cricket and deserves the opportunity.

“We’re looking forward to him going out there and doing his stuff. He just goes about his business … he adds a bit of humour and comedy to our team and is a really relaxed character. He’s someone we certainly enjoy having in and around our group and someone we have full confidence in that when he gets in and gets a start tomorrow, he’ll make the most of it,” he added.

Australia XI:

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

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