Cameron Green taken from field after freakish incident

Just three days after Will Pucovski was struck by a bouncer, Cameron Green has been hurt in a freakish incident.

Australia's Cameron Green was hit in the head while attempting to field off his own bowling from a shot by India's Jasprit Bumrah during day one of the India v Australia A day/night tour match at the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Australia has been rocked by another head injury scare to one of their young gun superstars, after Cameron Green copped a brutal hit while bowling at the SCG.

Just three days after Will Pucovski was struck by a bouncer which has put his first Test hopes in doubt, Green was the latest victim of a freakish incident and left the field immediately for an assessment in Australia A’s tour game against India.

Green appeared to just get his fingers to the ball which was smoked back at him by India’s Jasprit Bumrah, but it burst through his hand and struck him flush above the right eye, near his temple.

Watch Australia v India Test Series Live & Ad-Break Free During Play with the Fox Cricket commentary team. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >

India’s non-striker Mohammed Siraj immediately ran to Green, strewn on the ground instead of bothering to run between the wickets, while umpire Gerard Abood signalled straight away for the Australia A team doctor to come to the pitch.

Green appeared in remarkably good shape as he walked unassisted from the field, but would have gone for a concussion test as per cricket’s protocols.

The 21-year-old all-round sensation is firming for a Test debut in Adelaide, but fans at the SCG and viewers on Fox Sports were rocked by a sense of dejavu just days after the shock concussion suffered by Pucovski.

“The two names on everybody’s lips around Australia were Pucovski and Green and they’ve both been hit on the head the last three days and both had to leave the field,” said Kerry O’Keeffe in commentary on Fox.

“Siraj (the non-striker) heard the thud on the temple. H’s a lucky boy.”

Fellow Fox commentator Brendon Julian was also shocked by the situation of another young star leaving the field.

“It looks precautionary. I can’t believe that. Pucovski and Green are two guys looking at the Adelaide Test match,” said Julian.

“He looks pretty well right. He’s talking and chatting. Going off as a precaution. It was really well hit by Jasprit Bumrah, out of the middle of the bat.”

The incident came at the start of Green’s seventh over – after he had earlier taken a key wicket.

Bumrah smashed an unbeaten 55 off just 57 balls to save India’s blushes after a top order collapse, but the tourists were still all out for 194.

Kohli sensationally brushes key pink ball hit-out

Indian superstar Virat Kohli has brazenly burnt his precious chance at pink ball match practice for the only Test he will play this summer.

Kohli has only ever played one day-night Test in his career, and never one on Australian soil, but still he was happy to put his feet up at the SCG.

In a bizarre sight, The King was all dressed up in his whites but with nowhere to go – as he jogged laps of the ground before play and then snacked on yoghurt as his teammates dropped like flies in the middle.

Virat Kohli was happy to spend the final Test lead-up watching his teammates from afar.

There was some raised eyebrows at the SCG that Kohli wouldn’t want to take up the rare opportunity to face the unpredictable pink ball and pour everything possible into his preparation, particularly when his summer is a sprint not a marathon and he’s flying home for the birth of his child after the first Test under lights in Adelaide.

The jury was out on India’s decision to bench three of their batting superstars in Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul for the pink ball hit-out, after the rest of those challenging for top order spots in Adelaide were skittled by Cameron Green and Australia A before the end of the first session.

Shielding Kohli could be interpreted either as confidence or naivety for the reigning series holders India, but Test captaincy great Allan Border backed the skipper’s decision to trust in his own preparation.

“He has played enough of that form of the game and he’s in pretty good touch. He’ll just get his preparation right and get to Adelaide and face enough in the nets,” Border said on Fox Cricket.

Kohli tucks into some yoghurt after an early morning jog.

“He’s the skipper. Having been there myself on tour you tend to take an opportunity to take a break.

“He’ll be right. I wouldn’t worry too much about him. It’s about getting the rest of the order right.”

However, things didn’t go to plan for India, who were 6-111 by the first break with late Queensland call-up Jack Wildermuth taking three wickets in the opening session.

But Green came up with the highlight reel moment – the latest in a long line of breathtaking moments – removing India’s best young prospect Shubman Gill (43) with a peach of a delivery to strengthen his first Test claims even further.

The Cameron Green star continues to rise.

Border said Green was ready for a baggy green.

“He could handle batting five or six right now. I really think he could do that easily,” he said.

India aren’t the only ones with key players heading into the Test series without any pink ball – or first-class – match practice under their belt.

Two thirds of Australia’s pace attack – Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – have not bowled with a pink or a red ball since the Sydney Test back in January, while Steve Smith is also coming in cold.

Jack Wildermuth proved the unlikely hero with the ball for Australia A.

Australia had the first of a series of long training sessions scheduled for under lights in Adelaide on Friday night, and Cummins is confident he and Hazlewood will be cherry ripe for the Test despite the less than desirable preparation.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc (family illness) was expected to join the squad in the coming days.

“I think if you asked me a few years ago I probably would have been a bit more nervous than I am now,” said Cummins at a launch for watchmaker Hublot.

“I’m still coming off quite a bit of cricket, which helps and we’ve got an eight or nine day lead in into Adelaide and that’s deliberate so we can have some really good centre wicket hit outs and simulate good quality games.

“The centre wickets are as much about bowling with the pink or red ball as they are to just spend four or five hours on our feet so we get used to time on our legs.

“I’m sure come the start of the Test I’ll be ready to go. I feel in a really good place already. So a couple more (spells) and I’ll be ready to go.”