IND v AUS 2020: 'He’s been through it and he knows how to come back' – Pat Cummins on Will Pucovski suffering his ninth concussion

Australia vice-captain Pat Cummins is optimistic that 22-year-old opening batsman Will Pucovski will recover from his concussion before the first Test against India, starting on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval.

Will Pucovksi was struck flush on the helmet by Indian pacer Kartik Tyagi on Day 3 of the first warm-up match at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney on Tuesday (December 8).

The 22-year-old, who is pipped to make his Test debut in the absence of injured David Warner, is now set to miss the second practice game starting December 11.

In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, Pat Cummins sent his best wishes to the youngster and said that the support staff will hopefully help him through the struggle.

“It’s not great. But I suppose in cricket it’s been spread out over a few years. The good thing is he’s been through it and he knows how to come back. He’s obviously got the best experts around him that are going to help him...I wish him all the best but it’s obviously not ideal. You just want to go out and play sport, you don’t want to think about these kinds of things or your health. Fingers crossed, he’ll be okay.”

This is the ninth time Will Pucovksi has suffered a concussion. Additionally, he has been coping with his mental well-being, which saw him opt out of the 2018/19 home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the last home summer.

Now that the right-hander has to face another roadblock after scoring a whopping 495 runs in two Sheffield Shield matches, Pat Cummins fretted over his teammate’s misfortune.

“Will is in career-best form, he’s in a rich vein of form that a rare group of people probably ever get to experience and he’s probably a week away from his Test debut...Of course, you feel for him. The hardest thing I found about injuries is largely they’re totally out of your control.

Pat Cummins, who has been undergoing rest since the second ODI against India on November 29, added:

“You might be batting really well or bowling really well and something like this pops up as a major hurdle. Hopefully he’ll get through it.”

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‘You want everyone to be available in a perfect world,’ says Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins took three wickets in the two ODIs against India

Spearheaded by Pat Cummins, Australia’s bowling attack looks as menacing as always. However, their batting is a cause of concern, with David Warner ruled out of the first Test with a groin injury, opener Joe Burns having managed a top score of 29 in his last seven outings and now Pucovksi sustaining a concussion.

Pat Cummins, though, is not bothered by team selection as he feels everything automatically falls into place before a series starts.

“I feel like leading into every summer the conversation is always about five quick bowlers we’ve got to fit into three [spots]. This summer it was about the 10 batters we’ve got to try and fit into six [places]...It’s amazing how just before the Test series starts it normally kind of sorts itself out.

Pat Cummins, who is the No. 1 bowler in Tests, concluded:

“It’s not a new problem. The good thing is we’ve [had batsmen who have] been able to play Shield cricket and lots of guys scored plenty of runs. But you want everyone to be available in a perfect world.”

The four-match Test series will be played over a period of one month across Adelaide (Dec 17-21), Melbourne (26-30), Sydney (Jan 7-11) and Brisbane (Jan 15-19).