Australia v India: David Warner in doubt for Boxing Day Test

Advantage India? Australia’s opening batsmen issues have reached crisis levels and the problem is set to drag on for longer than first expected.

David Warner is battling to be fit for Boxing Day. Picture: Getty Images

The Boxing Day Test is at risk of losing a second major drawcard with David Warner’s return from a groin tear in danger of being pushed back until January.

India skipper Virat Kohli will jet home after the Adelaide Oval Test for the birth of his first child and Australia is facing the growing prospect that Warner will miss the first half of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Cricket Australia was optimistic on Wednesday that its blazing opener would make his return at the MCG, and Warner is leaving no stone unturned to fast-track his rehabilitation.

The 34-year-old has visited a Darlinghurst holistic health clinic almost daily, frequently climbing into a hyperbaric chamber.

Warner hopes the high oxygen level in the chamber speeds up the healing process for the muscle he injured while diving for a ball in the SCG field last month.

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David Warner is helped off the field by teammate Glenn Maxwell after injuring his groin during the one-day series against India. Picture: AFP

Warner has decided to remain in Sydney to continue his recovery.

But while Warner would love to bat on Boxing Day – a blockbuster Test he has not missed since 2011, with the exception of 2018 when he and Steve Smith were suspended – there is a realisation from his camp that it is doubtful.

The unusually long break between the Test matches at the MCG (December 26-30) and SCG (January 7-11) also counts against Warner pushing any boundaries to play again this year.

Warner would have to return inside four weeks to play on Boxing Day, whereas a comeback at the SCG would give him 39 days to nurse his groin back to full health.

Warner took a while to make his mark at the MCG, but has smashed two centuries (144 against Pakistan and 103 against England) from his past three Tests at the famous ground.

The prospect of losing Warner for the first two Tests, combined with Will Pucovski’s concussion cloud and Joe Burns’ crumbling form, has spun Australia’s opening plans into chaos.

A Warner-Burns combination at Adelaide Oval looked the unbackable favourite last month, with Warner wanting to retain Burns as his opening partner and coach Justin Langer a known advocate for such chemistry at the crease.

But Burns has posted first-class scores of seven, 29, 0, 10, 11, four and 0 this season – an average of just 8.7 runs.

With Warner injured, Burns out of form and Pucovski’s immediate future unclear, Langer has lost his top three openers to start the summer and a possibly batting rejig looms.

“The injury feels a lot better, but I need to be able to satisfy in my own mind and to my teammates that it is 100 per cent ready for Test match conditions,” Warner said on Wednesday.

“That includes running between the wickets and being agile in the field.”

Originally published as Australia v India: David Warner in doubt for Boxing Day Test