David Warner
"Devastated" to miss out on the pink-ball fixture of such a "big series, star Australia opener David Warner is hopeful of playing the Boxing Day Test against India.
The 34-year-old Warner had sustained a groin injury in the second ODI and was subsequently ruled out of the third game in Canberra, the three-game T20 series and the ongoing opening Test in Adelaide.
"I am (hopeful), that's one that I never want to miss out on. It's my first missed Test through injury so I'm obviously very disappointed with that," Warner said on 'SEN Radio'.
"With the big series that it is, it's devastating to miss a Test but I know that the guys who are walking out there today are going to put their best foot forward.
"Hopefully we start the series well and try and win this one moving onto Boxing Day and get that momentum into the new year," he added.
Warner, who is currently undergoing a rehab program, said he plans to increase the intensity of his training. "Hopefully I can get up and about and start running at a higher tempo. I managed to get up to 14 kilometres an hour so I've got to work towards a max of 26 to 30 kilometres an hour by next week."
The iconic Boxing Day Test, the biggest occasion on the Australian cricket calendar, is scheduled to start from December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"If I can run between wickets and move laterally and do some ground fielding by the end of next week, I should be ready to go. Fingers are crossed," he added. Hosts Australia won the ODI series 2-1 while India clinched the T20Is with same margin.
