India vs Australia: Matthew Wade Ready to Slide Down the Batting Order After David Warner and Will Pucovski’s Arrival for Sydney Test
Australia batsman Matthew Wade said that he is comfortable batting lower down the order after opening the innings in first two Test match against India. Australia have included regular openers David Warner and Will Pucovski in the squad for the last two Tests.
David Warner is all set to return to Australia’s playing XI as the assistant coach Andrew McDonald have already said that the southpaw will play the third Test even if he isn’t 100 per cent fit.
“I’ll prepare to bat where I have been batting (opening) and if I slide down then I am comfortable batting there,” said Wade while speaking to the media during an interaction on Sunday morning.
“We expect David to play. So it will be me and David or we make a change. Not sure if it will be me and Will,” added Wade.
The left-handed batsman though said he has not been informed about where he will bat in the next Test which begins Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“No, not as yet,” Wade said. “Obviously, Will has come back into the squad. Burnsy has gone out. Whether they make that change straightaway, and I slip back down or whether I don’t play at all. Who knows?… no indication at this stage of the game.”
Wade reveals he was asked to open the inning by coach Justin Langer. The southpaw further claims that he wanted to prove his versatility in the batting order.
“Coach Justin (Langer) asked me if I am comfortable. He didn’t push me or direct me. He asked if I am comfortable to go up there and open the batting. It didn’t worry me too much in case of Davey coming back. I thought it was an opportunity to show that I was versatile enough to bat from 1 and 7 — every possible place in the Test line-up. I thought it was a positive opportunity going forward. I can cover all the positions if something goes wrong on the tour. I can keep wickets for Tim Paine. So I saw it more as a positive than worry about being picked in the side. My spot has been speculated for 10 years now. So I will just go out and do what I can do,” said Wade.
“I really enjoyed opening. I didn’t really know what to expect going into the pink-ball Test before I batted there. I think the last three times, it has not been that much different. You have to be a bit more cautious early. But I enjoyed that. Getting the pads on, getting stuck into them. Really enjoyed it. Moving forward if that is what selectors want me to do… I am happy to play anywhere…slide back down the order,” he added.
Wade also gave an update on Pucovski’s concussion and said that the young opener is a good place and ready to make his debut for Australia. The 22-year-old batsman was hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Kartik Tyagi during a warm-up game in early December.
“Yeah, I had a chat with him, just chit-chat. Little bit about how he is going with the concussions and things like that. He seems to be in a really, really good place…seen him get back to the Test squad in a really good place shows that he really wants to play Test cricket,” Wade said.
“We didn’t know if he’d come back at all. For him to come back and put his hand up for selection shows he wants to be here and play Test cricket. So that is a positive for everyone in Australian cricket,” he added.
The Australian team will leave to Sydney on Monday for the third Test match of the series which will start from January 7.