India tour of Australia Test series: Joe Burns most likely to open batting with David Warner, says head coach Justin Langer

India tour of Australia Test series: Joe Burns most likely to open batting with David Warner, says head coach Justin Langer
Australia head coach Justin Langer

Ahead of India’s tour of Australia and its Test series which is set begin on December 17, Australia’s Head coach Justin Langer has said that Joe Burns will most likely retain his position and will open with David Warner in the Test series.

But with more than a month for the first Test in Adelaide on December 17, the head coach has hinted that “things might change“. “[Will Pucovski has] been amazing hasn’t he, and it’s exactly what we are looking for, I’ve said it for a very long time that we want guys who are outside of the team to bang so hard you can’t ignore them. The fact is he’s been so good we can’t ignore him, he’s been brilliant,” Langer told the media on Friday.

However, he added that Burns and Warner have a “real synergy“. “That said I’ve also been consistent with the messaging that last summer we loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner, they have a real synergy, so at this point I’d say that will remain the same. But what Will’s doing, what Cameron Green has done, is making a real statement through sheer weight of runs and that’s always been a strong foundation for the strength of Australian cricket,” he added.

India Tour of Australia Test series: Contrasting form of Burns and Pucovski

Joe Burns and Will Pucovski

The call between Joe Burns and Will Pucovski for the second opening spot is proving to be a raging debate in Australia ahead of the bilateral Test series with India. Langer has hinted at continuity with Burns. However, the recent form of the two batsmen is in contrast to one another. Burns has had a sub-par start to the Marsh Sheffield Shield season with 57 runs at 11.40.

On the other hand, young Pucovski is in an excellent form. In 2 Sheffield Shield matches, he has hit 495 runs. And has smashed 2 double centuries. It is believed that the two batsmen will open together in a three-day warm up match ahead of the India tour of Australia. That could be the key to deciding who will go on to take the final spot.

The media has termed it as a showdown. However, head coach Justin Langer was reluctant to use that term. “I wouldn’t say it’s a bat-off. Joe Burns has done really well for us. Will Pucovski, we are really looking forward to seeing how he steps up to Australia A. It will be great to see him play against India, a new step up for him, so it’s an exciting time. Competition is healthy,” Langer said.

He also highlighted the importance of good partnerships in matches. “When guys have done a really good job for us – like in this case that Joe and Davey did for us last summer – there’s a reason we’re ranked the No.1 Team in Test cricket. Those sorts of partnerships are really important, so we should never underestimate that,” he added.

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