Australia’s charge for the second Test in the Border-Gravaskar series has suffered a big blow with Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the mandatory pink-ball game due to a side strain.
Australia, however, named two uncapped bowlers in their squad to fill Hazlewood’s shoes. The two players entering the squad are Sean Abbot and Brendan Doggett. In the starting 11, Scott Boland could very well be gearing up for his Test return; he last played a Test in July 2023 in Adelaide.
Boland will also play for the Prime Minister’s XI against India where the two sides will meet at the Canberra’s Manuka Oval for a two-day game with the pink ball. He will face such faces under the Indian squad as Rohit Sharma and many more, with an intention to prove himself there.
Although Australia is blessed with an experienced pace attack featuring skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, the void left by Hazlewood will be big as he was their leading wicket-taker in the very first Test – 4 wickets in the first innings and 1 in the second at a very economical rate.
Cricket Australia released a statement saying that it is a ‘low-grade left side injury,’ which will also put his chances in doubt for the rest of the series. The last time India did play a pink-ball Test in Australian soil, Hazlewood was the pick of the Aussie bowlers with India being bowled out for just 36 runs and the right-arm pacer finishing with figures of 5/8 in his five overs.
The team would come together at the weekend in Adelaide and had an extra day added on to prepare to return stronger after the crushing 295-run defeat to India in Perth for the series opener.
The Adelaide Oval will host the Second Test match from December 6 to December 10 under lights. While Australia hopes to replace Hazlewood, that will be a big boost for India as Rohit Sharma and probably Shubman Gill are back to boost batting.
Australia will face the difficult task of putting behind its Test of many years wherein they are expected to win against India, in almost a decade without any win for the Aussies in this series.
