Burns backed to take lead Test role if Warner sidelined

Marnus Labuschagne has backed his Queensland teammate Joe Burns to slot into the role of senior opener should injury force Australia to make a major change to their batting line-up for the Vodafone Test Series against India starting next month.

Doubt remains over in-form opener David Warner's ability to recover from a groin strain he suffered during Australia's series-clinching ODI win at the SCG last night.

Cricket Australia confirmed today the former Test vice-captain will miss the final match of the Dettol ODI Series in Canberra on Wednesday as well as the three-game Dettol T20I Series to follow in the hope he will be fit for the opening Vodafone Series Test at Adelaide Oval from December 17.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins will also be rested from the remaining limited-overs matches against India to prepare for the Test campaign that begins with a day-night game in Adelaide.

"Pat and Davie are critical to our plans for the Test Series," national men's coach Justin Langer said today.

"The priority for both is being fully prepared for one of the biggest and most important home Test series we have played in recent years, especially with World Test Championship points up for grabs."

Warner has been in sparkling form in the first two ODIs that Australia won convincingly, and debate had previously centred on whether his opening partner for the first Test would be incumbent Burns or uncapped Victorian Will Pucovski who dominated the early rounds of Marsh Sheffield Shield competition.

But if Warner can't take his place at the top of the order for the opening Test, Labuschagne believes his Bulls teammate has the talent and temperament to assume the role of senior partner alongside Pucovski despite Burns experiencing a lean start to the Shield season.

"Joe's averaging (almost) 40 in Test cricket so he's certainly established, and he's got four Test hundreds – he's a very good player," Labuschagne said today before the Australia ODI outfit travelled to Canberra with new inclusion D'Arcy Short.

"Although he hasn't scored the runs in Shield cricket that he'd like, he got (97) against Pakistan in the first Test last summer and he negotiated through that new-ball period almost every time.

"So he's not far away from a couple of big scores, and if he was to step up into that senior opener role I think he's the sort of player that can.

"He's done it many times for Queensland, and a few times for Australia as well."

Burns scored 57 runs in his three Shield appearances so far this summer at an average of 11.40, while Pucovski plundered two double-centuries for a two-match aggregate of 495 while averaging 247.50.

The pair are likely to open together for the first time for Australia A in a three-day warm-up game against India A at Drummoyne Oval starting next Sunday, which will provide them an opportunity to establish a rapport ahead of the first Test.

The pair have played together – for Australia A against Pakistan in a practice match that preceded last summer's Test series – but Pucovski batted at number five and Burns had been dismissed by the time he went to the wicket.

One of the considerations selection chair Trevor Hohns previously cited in choosing who would partner Warner in the Tests against India was the strength of the bond Warner and Burns had formed in their 27 innings tackling the new-ball for Australia.

Warner didn't join his teammates on the bus to Canberra this morning as he awaited the results of last night's scans, but Labuschagne believes the 34-year-old will return for some, if not all the upcoming Test campaign.

"I shot him a message last night just checking he was okay, and he seemed he was all right," Labuschagne said today.

"I'm not sure of the extent of his injury, but he's been a massive part of us winning this (ODI) series and it's not great that we've lost him.

"I hope he's back for the Test series.

"He's a very strong character and he'll be back, he's so fit.

"We just need to adapt for this last one-dayer and if he's not available it provides an opportunity for somebody to step up."

Labuschagne acknowledged he would "love it" if asked to open alongside skipper Aaron Finch in the final ODI at Manuka Oval, which carries points for the ICC's newly instituted Cricket World Cup Super League table even if Australia have already secured the series trophy.

The 26-year-old has opened the batting on 13 occasions for Queensland in Shield cricket (with one century and an average of 29.92) but has batted no higher than number four in his 12-match ODI career to date.

"If I got asked to open the batting then absolutely, it's an opportunity I would enjoy," Labuschagne said today.

"We'll have to wait and see how our team shapes up for the next game and the balance of the side, but I would love doing it."

He also noted that players such as Warner and former skipper Steve Smith who, like a bulk of the Indian touring party have not been afforded an opportunity to play first-class cricket for most of this year, would not take long to adapt to the longer format.

India will likely field a Test-strength XI for their sole day-night warm-up match against Australia A at the SCG from December 11-13 while Australia's Test players will undergo intensive pink-ball preparations in Adelaide ahead of the series opener.

While pointing out that scoring runs in the Dettol Series limited-overs games provided batters with great confidence for the upcoming Tests regardless of the format, Australia could claim a slight advantage by having been exposed to first-class cricket in the Shield competition last month.

"It definitely helps to get a few (first-class) games under your belt, just to get the pace and the timing of the game from T20s to one-dayers to four-day cricket," he said.

"But a lot of these players that haven't played Shield cricket or four-day cricket, they've been doing it for a long time.

"They're not new to the changes of format so I'd be surprised if they didn's shift back into gear very quickly.

"But saying that I think it's a slight advantage that four out of our top six have been playing Shield cricket and got that rhythm as a batting group."

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT