We’re less than a week away from the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Series and the XI for Australia remains a widespread mystery.
Cameron Green is in a race against the clock with the all-rounder leaving a giant question mark over the head of selectors.
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Green suffered a broken finger during the Boxing Day Test and could miss the opening Test against India in Nagpur, which gets underway on Thursday.
While the towering 23-year-old has already been ruled out of bowling, his place in the squad is still a lingering concern with skipper Pat Cummins not giving anything away regarding his place in the XI as a batsmen.
“I know he won’t be bowling (in the first Test),” Cummins told foxsports.com.au on Thursday.
“The next week’s obviously really important. He hasn’t been able to do a lot yet.
“I think the nature of that particular injury is once it comes good, it comes good really quickly. Hopefully we’re at that stage where the next week, it really does improve a lot.
“I think he was going to try and have a hit this afternoon. I haven’t seen how that’s gone, but we’ll see how the next week goes, the next few days in particular, and map out a plan.
“(We’re) still kind of hopeful, but see how he goes.”
If Green fails in his bid to convince selectors he is fine to pad up and stand at the crease, a two-horse race will unfold to take his place in the squad.
Matt Renshaw is the likely selection after taking his place during the New Year’s Test in Sydney against South Africa.
But working against Renshaw is the middle order of Australia being stacked with left-handed batsmen.
That one fact could be enough to convince selectors to instead opt for right-hander Peter Handscomb.
Spin plays a bigger role in Test cricket on the subcontinent than in any other part of the world and the tactical play of having right and left-handers could be Handcomb’s winning ticket into the XI.
Another selection dilemma for the Aussies exists in the bowling ranks with serious questions being asked as to who will be the second spinner in the squad alongside Nathan Lyon.
Ashton Agar was thrown into the mix during the Sydney Test and despite his struggles against South Africa, he impressed Cummins in a recent hit out.
It’s however 22-year-old Todd Murphy who is looming as the surprise bolter to make his Test debut against India, with Cummins hinting he had been extremely impressive in preparation for the series.
“I’ve only seen a little bit of Todd. Obviously he’s done really well in Shield cricket, and the guys that have faced him have been really impressed with not just his stock ball, but also his variations,” Cummins said.
“Mixing up the pace, flights it slightly differently to what Nathan does, and getting those opportunities like at North Sydney to really have the conditions in your favour is fun. It’s where you can get really creative.
“I thought he and Ashton Agar in particular really enjoyed it. You can kind of relax and really show off how good you are. They were both impressive, could kind of land it where they wanted to more often than not and change different speeds and arm paths and angles to the crease – all those subtleties that you might not be able to pick up on the TV, but do make a big difference.”
