“I’m off social media”: Will Pucovski staying away from media hype ahead of India Test series
Australia named five uncapped players in their 17-member squad for the Test series against India. One of those uncapped players is Will Pucovski, who recently piled up 495 runs in two Sheffield Shield matches as an opener for Victoria.
The 22-year-old will also be playing the tour match against India, where he will get a chance to impress Tim Paine and hopefully find a place in the playing XI when the four-Test series begins.
Pucovski is being touted as a replacement for Joe Burns, who has endured a lean patch in the Sheffield Shield.
And to keep his mind away from all the comparisons and distractions, the young batsman has distanced himself from social media.
"I think it's a bit of a media build up to be honest, the big bat-off thing," he told reporters on Friday.
"I think all I can really control is how I go about it in my preparation and then obviously in the game so I feel like my batting's in a really good place.
“I'm off a lot of social media, so that makes it a lot easier. You can't get tagged on Twitter and stuff if you don't have the app, so that's been a pretty easy one.”
Will Pucovski has been knocking on the door for national team selection
The young Pucovski made his List A debut for Cricket Australia XI against the Pakistani team at home in 2017.
He then went on to make his first-class debut for Victoria in the 2016–17 Sheffield Shield season. Last year, the right-handed batsman was named in Australia's Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka but did not make his debut.
In 2018, Pucovski was hit in the head by a Sean Abbott bouncer and suffered a second concussion in two years.
Here is the 17-man squad Australia picked for the upcoming series against India:
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
The 3-match ODI series between the two nations starts on 27 November 2020, which is followed by a 3-match T20 series to be played from 4th to 8th December.
The 4-Test series begins on 21 December 2020 and could extend all the way to 19 January 2021.