The Australian head coach, Justin Langer on Tuesday said that the veteran opener, David Warner was “very, very, very likely” to play the third Test against India, with Will Pucovski shaping as his opening partner after passing all the concussions tests. Warner missed the first two Tests due to a strain in his groin but looks almost certain to return for Thursday’s crucial clash in Sydney, with the four-Test series locked at 1-1.

During a virtual press conference, Langer was heard saying, “He looks like he’s moving pretty well. He’s very determined to play. I’d say he’s looking very, very, very likely to play the Test match. He’s going to be playing through the pain though. It’s not so much in the muscle but in the tendon area.”

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Joe Burns came out open the innings with Matthew Wade in the first couple of Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne, but after a run of poor scores has been axed. It opens the door for Pucovski to make his debut after Langer said an independent neurologist had cleared him of having any concussion injury. 

Pucovski, 21, has a long history of suffering concussions and has also dealt with mental health issues. But Langer said his mind has been put at ease by the neurologists’ all-clear on Monday.

Talking about the youngster, Justin Langer said, “The real heartening thing for him is that while he’s had a few concussions in the past … it’s not necessarily going to have any long-term impact on him. He’s in a great frame of mind, he’s incredibly positive about playing cricket, he’s trained hard this week and, as he and I have discussed a number of times, the only way to get back on the horse is to get back on the horse.”

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If Pucovski plays, Wade will almost certainly drop back to his more accustomed number five position with allrounder Cameron Green retained at six which would indicate that Travis Head gets dropped.