Sydney:Ā Australia opener David Warner has been ruled out of the opening Test match against India in Adelaide. He will need another 10 days to achieve peak fitness and will now target a return for the second Test at the MCG, which starts December 26.
Warner injured his adductor muscle while fielding against India in the second ODI and was immediately ruled out of the subsequent white-ball games. He will now remain in Sydney for specialized treatments as the rest of the squad travels to Adelaide.
I feel I have made great progress in a short amount of time and it’s best for me to stay here in Sydney to continue working on getting back to full fitness, Warner said.
The injury feels a lot better, but I need to be able to satisfy in my own mind and to my team-mates that it is 100 per cent ready for Test match conditions.
That includes running between the wickets and being agile in the field. Right now I feel I am short of being able to play at peak fitness and another 10 days will make a difference.
Australian men’s head coach Justin Langer said that he was looking forward to having a fully-fit Warner for the Boxing Day Test.
If there is one guy you know will go well above and beyond that’s Dave, Langer said. ‘He has done an incredible job to get to where he is today and we hope to have a fully fit David Warner at his absolute best in Melbourne.’
Will Pucovski will be in line to make his Test debut in Warner’s absence, given the 22-year-old recovers well from the mild concussion he picked up in the practice match against India A.