Sunil Gavaskar’s warning for Will Pucovski ahead of India Test series

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has issued a warning to Victorian batsman Will Pucovski ahead of the Test series against India.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 08: Willam Pucovski of Victoria looks on during day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval on November 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Former Indian Test captain Sunil Gavaskar believes Victorian prodigy Will Pucovski should prepare for a bouncer barrage if he makes his Test debut against India this summer.

Pucovski was struck in the helmet by a short ball during a three-day tour match against India A at Drummoyne Oval on Tuesday, and has since experienced concussion symptoms.

The 22-year-old has reportedly suffered nine concussions over the last six years, a worrying recurrence for the young gun.

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According to Gavaskar, the Indian bowlers will look to exploit Pucovski’s supposed weakness if he is given an opportunity at Test level.

“You would expect that to happen. Once you enter the ground whether it’s playing for your country, or even playing for your state or club, you’re going to cop it,” Gavaskar said, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

“If the word is that you’re not really comfortable against a particular delivery, you’re going to get a lot of it. I don’t see India easing up because he’s had a history of concussion.

Will Pucovski of Australia A lies after he was struck in the helmet off the bowling of Kartik Tyagi.

“They’ll be saying, ‘Well if he’s got a history of concussion, then don’t pick him in the team. But you can’t restrict us bowling what we want to bowl’.

“That’s not just with India … if an Indian player had a similar problem, the Australians would try and exploit it. That’s par for the course.”

Gavaskar represented Indian in 125 Test matches, scoring 10,122 runs and plundering 34 centuries.

The 71-year-old identified paceman Mohammad Shami as the Indian bowler who executes the short ball the most effectively.

“He’s got as good a bouncer as any I’ve seen,” Gavaskar said.

“He’s not very tall. His bouncer skids at you and skids at you at pace. He’s pretty accurate with his bouncer as well. He can really unleash a lethal bouncer.

“He’s difficult to negotiate, mainly because he’s not very tall. With tall bowlers, you can have an idea how high the ball is going to bounce, but with Shami it’s just a bit more difficult. He comes at your head pretty quickly.”

Mohammed Shami of India appeals for a wicket.

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The tragic death of Phil Hughes in 2014 sparked debate about whether the short ball should be eradicated from the sport altogether.

But former Australian captain Michael Clarke considers the bouncer an “massive part of the game”.

“That is part of our sport. You are protected as well as you can be,” Clarke said on Sky Sports’ Big Sports Breakfast.

“You have a helmet, chest guard, arm guard, thigh pad, gloves, pads and most important you had a bat. If you take that part of the game away from cricket it is completely different.

“As a batsman, you go around the world to some conditions where the wicket is slower and flatter, if you just cramp on the front foot every single ball it is an easy game. It is so much harder to get out. The hardest part for a batsman is when you’ve got pace and bounce and the bowler uses the short ball which pushes you back in the crease.

“Then the ball that generally gets you out is that one in between length where you are caught on the crease because of the pace and bounce that’s pushed you back. You get stuck on the crease, that is the one that is edged to the wicketkeeper. That is a massive part of the game of cricket and we cannot lose it.”

Pucovski was withdrawn from the three-day tour match against India at the SCG as he continues to recover from the suspected concussion.

It is currently unknown whether he will be available to play in the first Test against India, which gets underway on Thursday, December 17 at Adelaide Oval.

Originally published as Sunil Gavaskar’s warning for Will Pucovski ahead of India Test series