Will Pucovski could be one of Australia’s youngest Test debutants following in his idol Ricky Ponting’s footsteps

He idolises Ricky Ponting and had modelled his game on the likes of Alastair Cook and Cheteshwar Pujara and Will Pucovski’s dad believes his son’s time out of the game could be a blessing in disguise.

Will Pucovski after being called up to Australia’s Test squad.

As a child, Test bolter Will Pucovski would prepare for his backyard cricket matches by writing up a batting order.

He would always be Ricky Ponting, the No.3.

“He’s used the (Kookaburra) Kahuna bat since he was a kid, he wouldn’t use any other bat because that’s what Ricky used,” Pucovski’s dad, Jan, told the Herald Sun.

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“He still uses a Kahuna now. Ricky was what he wanted to model himself on.”

It would be music to the ears of Australian cricket fans, a prospective Test batter who wants to play like Punter and who also admires Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Cheteshwar Pujara.

Wednesday, the 20-year-old Victorian was selected in the Test squad to play Sri Lanka in Brisbane, starting on January 24.

“He’s always had red-ball players as his favourite players,” Jan said.

“Old school … they have a similar approach to what he has in his game.”

Ponting’s manager James Henderson lived near the Pucovskis and he organised for the then Aussie star to watch an 11-year-old Will during an indoor net session at Moorabbin.

The photo is still on the wall at the Pucovski’s Hampton home.

Renegades opening bat and wicketkeeper Sam Harper featured in those backyard games with little Ricky.

Harper - diminutive now, surely tiny then - was a right-handed Adam Gilchrist.

Ricky Ponting with Will Pucovski as an 11-year-old.

Will and Sam’s dads - Jan and Bryan - played together at the Caulfield Cricket Club so the boys have been mates virtually since birth.

Harper has no doubts about his mate’s ability to make it at Test level.

“I always saw a Test cap for him, just the way he bats, his calmness,” Harper said.

“His game has always been based around patience. I’m sure he’ll be awesome if he gets the chance.”

Pucovski and Harper also share the unfortunate connection of being concussion victims.

Harper copped a bat to his head in a Sheffield Shield game in 2017 while Pucovski has had seven concussions, including three during last year’s Shield season resulting in extended breaks from the game.

Jan says the concussion period was “horrendous”.

“He has gained a sense of perspective through all of the really hard times he has gone through,” Jan said.

Will Pucovski in action for Victoria.

Sam Harper in action for Melbourne Renegades.

“He has learned to appreciate that it’s just a game and it could last for 15 years, it could last for one year.

“Ironically I think in some ways it has helped him. The time away I think has made him really consider: ‘Am I really passionate about this? Do I really want to do what it takes to get to the highest level?’

“It’s never really affected his cricket, he’s always come back bigger and better.

“The concussions were obviously a concern because there’s always a chance — and we don’t necessarily know whether his mental health issues were connected — but there’s a strong chance they probably were.

“That was always a real worry from a parent’s point of view.”

Pucovski revealed he had been struggling with his mental health for close to a year before he reached breaking point during a Shield game against Western Australia in Perth in October.

He was struggling to get out of bed to play and finally told his family and Cricket Victoria coaches how he was feeling.

“Cricket had always been my dream … and if that was getting affected to the point where I didn’t want to be there and had lost interest and just sort of wanted to go home and cry, that’s when I knew things were quite tough in a way and just thought I need to get some help pretty quickly and turn this around,” Pucovski told Fox Sports’ The Follow-On Podcast.

Will Pucovski after being picked in the Australian Test squad against Sri Lanka. Picture: Ian Currie

“I’ve always been a really happy sort of outgoing kid growing up and losing that felt like I’d lost a sense of who I was, which was quite tough.”

Jan and Will’s mum, Jules, received the call from their son when he was 64 not out in that Shield game in Perth. He told them he felt really flat.

“Being four hours away, him being in the middle of a first class game, it was really tough,” Jan said.

“It was an eerie feeling watching him. I was expecting him to be out in the first over (the following day), the way he described his mindset.”

Pucovski batted for basically the whole of the next day, announcing himself to the nation with an incredible 243 off 311 balls.

After that innings Pucovski took a break from the game to work on his mental health.

He now meditates daily and credits mindfulness coach Emma Murray, who worked with Dustin Martin and Richmond during the Tigers’ premiership year, as a key part of his continued recovery.

He returned to the Shield arena on December 7, making 67. He has also been playing premier cricket for Melbourne.

Now he’s on the verge of being presented with a Baggy Green.

And there wouldn’t be a better man to present it than the Big Kahuna, R.T. Ponting.

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