IND v AUS 2020: Shaun Marsh in contention for opening role in Test series, says Justin Langer
Australia head coach Justin Langer believes that veteran batsman Shaun Marsh has a genuine chance of opening for the Aussies in the Test series against India.
Shaun Marsh last played a Test for Australia back in January 2019 and has been out of favour ever since.
The 37-year-old has been in red-hot form in the Sheffield Shield this season. He scored 3 hundreds in his last four games for Western Australia, making his claim for the opening spot stronger.
David Warner has been ruled out of the first Test at Adelaide due to a groin injury. Meanwhile, young Will Pucovski is also doubtful for the first Test as he suffered from a concussion in the first practice game.
These absences might be a blessing in disguise for Shaun Marsh, who will certainly look to prove his worth and make an impact with the bat if given a chance to open for Australia.
Justin Langer was quoted as saying by Australian broadcaster Channel Seven:
"You never discriminate against age. He’s doing everything possible. His numbers in Sheffield Shield cricket not only this year but the back end of last year were absolutely elite. There’s no more popular player in the Australian cricket team than Shaun, maybe his brother (Mitch) actually."
I know how important opening partnership is for a successful team: Justin Langer
David Warner and Joe Burns seemed to have finally solved Australia's opening partnership conundrum as they performed well together last summer. However, the latter's poor form recently has only added to Australia's problems at the top of the order.
With the likes of Marsh and Marcus Harris in the mix, Justin Langer understands how important it is to form a stable opening combination. He said:
"You can imagine I’m very passionate about getting the opening partnership right. I know how important it is to a successful team. We’ll be working through that and hopefully get the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle right for the first test match and beyond next week."
The first Test between India and Australia will be played at Adelaide from December 17. With less than a week remaining for the Test series to begin, Justin Langer will be keen to work on his opening combination and have a well-settled batting line-up.