Cameron Green has declared himself “100 per cent ready to go” for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a much-needed boost to Australia’s bowling stocks.
The 23-year-old all-rounder said he had wanted to play in Delhi but understood the benefit of another week on the sidelines as he gears up to play a big role with bat and ball in Indore.
Green’s importance to Australia’s team balance will be amplified in the absence of captain Pat Cummins, who will remain in Sydney to be with his sick mother, while left arm quick Mitchell Starc is still yet to be cleared to play.
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Cummins’ absence and Green’s return means Australia is likely to again deploy three spinners in the third Test, which starts on March 1, with either Starc, Scott Boland or uncapped quick Lance Morris to play as the sole specialist seamer.
Trying to sweep while batting had caused an injury scare in the nets for Green, but he said he had “a lot of confidence” that his fractured finger had fully healed.
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“I was so, so close last game but I think probably having an extra week has helped a lot, so I’m 100 per cent ready to go,” he said.
“I reckon it’s just a few instances in the nets where I’d maybe go for a sweep and just jarred (the injured finger) on my bat.
“I went for a sweep to a pretty new ball, just caught the very end of it and had a bit of pain at the back of my finger, but apart from that it’s been really sweet the last two weeks, I’ve got a lot of confidence in it.”
Green said his batting had taken longer to come back than his bowling, but he took confidence from the low bounce observed in the first two Tests that his finger would not be at any significant risk.
“My bowling is actually going really well, I think we probably thought the ball on the back of the finger rolling off might be painful but that’s been completely fine,” he said.
“I had my first hit probably four or five days ago against the pace bowlers and felt completely fine.”
Green’s stay in India will go far beyond the Test series and upcoming ODIs, with his IPL stint to last another six to eight weeks before his likely return to the country for the World Cup in October.
“I’m just getting into the swing of things … it’s a bit of time in India,” he said.
“I think (my family) have accepted what’s going to happen, and bringing a lot of energy to start the trip has been really good – all the guys have been awesome to be around.”