IND v AUS 2020: Tim Paine hints at Joe Burns as potential opener for the first Test

Tim Paine recently indicated that Joe Burns is in line to open the innings for the hosts in the first Test that begins on December 17 in Adelaide. The Australian captain also revealed that the team has settled on the playing XI, but the announcement will be made at the toss.

There have been speculations regarding the Australian opening combination after David Warner and Will Pucovski were ruled out of the first Test with injuries. Joe Burns, the regular opener alongside Warner during the previous year, is suffering from a terrible run of form this summer.

He averages under 7 runs from 9 innings which includes knocks of 4, 0, 0 & 1 in the two tour games against the Indian side. However, despite Burns' poor form, captain Tim Paine confided that he has full faith in the right-hander coming good if he walks out to open the innings.

“Obviously his build-up, in terms of runs, hasn't been great but if you look at the work he's done solely in Test cricket for this team, it's been very, very good. He averages just over 40 in Test cricket. If Joe walks out to bat tomorrow, we've got full confidence in him doing the job, there's no doubt about that,” Tim Paine said in a media interaction on Wednesday.

Tim Paine opined that stability is of utmost importance in any team sport and the current Australian side has been banking on it for a while.

“Stability in good cricket teams, in good sports teams is really important so that's something we've tried to build over the last two years, to try and have that stability around selection which takes the worry out of it for certain players. There's always going to be a lot of noise externally about the first Test and what team we're picking, but internally we've been pretty clear for a while.”

One day to go #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/QG4A7n7oXh

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 16, 2020

Tim Paine wants Cameron Green to share the workload if selected to play

Skipper Tim Paine added that young all-rounder Cameron Green will have to share the workload of the fast bowlers if he is in the playing XI in an approach to keep the fast bowlers fresh in the series.

Notably, Green had suffered back stress fractures last year which restricted him to just small spells throughout first-class cricket this year.

“I think once you're selected in a Test match you're good to go, but having said that we don't expect him to bowl a huge amount of overs anyway. He takes maybe 12 to 14 overs an innings out of our key fast bowlers which is great in terms of keeping them fresh, in a pink ball sense, for the night session. And being able to keep them fresh for the whole series," added Tim Paine.

Earlier, Australian head coach Justin Langer had revealed on Tuesday that Cameron Green is a certainty in the playing XI if medically approved. The injury concerns surrounding Green's fitness surfaced after he was hit on the head by a shot off Jasprit Bumrah's blade during the second practice match.

Go behind the bubble as Australia's physical performance coach Aaron Kellett gives an insight into his role in protecting the national men's team #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Tpqrs4UT7A

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 16, 2020