Australia have been handed another major blow in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy after star batter David Warner is ruled out of the second Test match in Delhi. Warner is reported to have suffered a concussion after a ball hit his helmet on Day 1 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Matthew Renshaw has been named as his concussion substitute.
Warner out of Delhi Test
The 36-year-old could also be a doubtful starter for the third Test, which begins in Indore on March 1, after it emerged that he has also sustained a hairline fracture on his elbow.
"Warner will now follow the graduated return to sport protocols ahead of the third Test in Indore in line with Cricket Australia guidelines," a Cricket Australia statement said on Saturday.
Warner, who scored one and 10 in Nagpur in the first Test, was the first Aussie batter to go on Friday after taking 21 balls to score the first runs of his innings. He had faced a barrage of short balls by seamer Mohammed Siraj and took a couple of blows — on the elbow and, most notably, the back of the helmet — before he was out caught behind thanks to a peach of a delivery from Mohammad Shami.
Warner then did not come out to field when it was India’s turn to bat. He didn’t have a concussion test after taking a hit to the helmet, but Khawaja said his fellow opener felt “weary” after the hit on the head.
“The medical staff will have to figure out what happens from here on in,” he said after the opening day concluded.
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Renshaw comes in for Warner
Warner has subsequently been ruled out of the Test, with Matthew Renshaw to take the veteran’s place as a concussion substitute. Renshaw made scores of zero and two in the first Test before being dropped for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy clash, but now has a golden opportunity to make amends for those failures.
It is more likely that Renshaw will play in the middle-order and Travis Head will open as for the Aussies.
Australia (Playing XI): Matthew Renshaw (concussion substitute), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann.
