Form a fickle business for Finch

Greg Chappell once famously remarked that he hadn’t been batting for long enough to tell whether he was out of form, a sentiment Aaron Finch can surely relate to less than a fortnight out from his first Test match on home soil.

Finch’s first-ball duck in Friday night’s washed out T20 International against India in Melbourne means he averages 9.6 from 10 innings since his impressive debut Test series against Pakistan last month.

Having surged into the Test side on the back of probably the hottest run of form in his career, Finch has spent an average of just 14.8 balls at the crease per innings since that Pakistan series.

For a proven performer like Finch, such a run of outs wouldn’t normally be of too great a concern given seven of those 10 innings have been in the hit-or-miss T20 format.

But the fact he’s spent such little time at the crease heading into the Domain Test Series against India next month, his maiden Test campaign in Australia, is far from ideal.

It means the right-hander’s return to Victoria’s JLT Sheffield Shield side next week takes on even greater importance as he aims to find some touch heading into the first Test in Adelaide from December 6.

Much of the focus heading into the game against Queensland at the Gabba will be on where in the batting order Finch will bat; despite the 32-year-old seemingly being pencilled in to continue as an opener in the Test side, the Vics have indicated they’ll bat him in the middle order against the Bulls.

Test great Shane Warne has urged national selectors to call on the Vics to “toe the line” and bat Finch at the top of the order, something national coach Justin Langer has denied he will do.

Skipper Tim Paine said on Friday that the decision on where in the order Finch will bat is entirely up to the Victorians, but he added opening against the Bulls would be the best preparation for him ahead of the first Test.

"I think if Finchy plays for us in the Test series, I dare say it's going to be at the top of the order,” Paine said.

“So, you would like to think they (Victoria) would help him prepare as best as they possibly could.

"But, at the same time, they have got a Shield game to win and they are going to pick the best side and the best line-up they think can win that game. It's completely up to them."

Speaking on Fox Cricket, Warne urged the Vics to open with Finch next week, adding the right-hander’s recent run of outs was of no great concern.

“He has to open,” Warne said.

“The national selectors have to give a direction to say, ‘we want Aaron Finch to open in Test matches; Victoria, toe the line and look after your mate’. Look after Aaron Finch, we need him to do well, you open the batting.

“He’s a proven performer, he’s got a few credits in the bank because he has done so well over a period of time. If he has a few low scores while he’s trying to figure out his technique in both forms of the game, he’ll be OK.”

Australia batter Ben McDermott said Finch had been “pure class” around the team, despite his run of low scores.

“He’s been really good around the group, helping me out and helping the group out still,” McDermott said.

“He’s still positive and I think he’s going to bounce back really well.

“He’s one of the best in the world.”

Finch will get another chance in the middle in the series-deciding Gillette T20 INTL in Sydney on Sunday before the Shield game begins in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Gillette T20s v India 

November 21: Australia won by four runs (DLS method)

November 23: No result

November 25: SCG

Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

India T20 squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.