Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, has admitted that all-rounder Cameron Green's biggest challenge right now, ahead of the four-match Test series against India, which begins on February 9, is to be ready to bowl again.
Green was ruled out of cricketing action after breaking his finger on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He's been at Australia's training camp in Sydney for the last two days and is making good progress, but he's in a race against time to be ready to bowl in the Nagpur Test.
"Bowling is his biggest challenge right now, given where he is. There is a lack of loading there, and one of the primary reasons for us arriving here early is to ensure that we are prepared for the rigours of what the bowling unit will entail."
"Building confidence is the most important thing, preparing him to succeed in that first Test match, having enough time, that will be the critical question," McDonald said on Sunday, according to ESPNCricinfo.
If Green is unable to bowl, he can be used as a specialist batter, as evidenced by his fifties against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Lahore and Galle, respectively, with the latter securing a win for Australia and awarding the all-rounder Player of the Match.
If he does not make the starting eleven as a pure batter, Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb enter the picture. "We value his (Green's) batting first and foremost really, he's a batter in our top six and we value that, his bowling is a bonus. A very nice extra.
"Handscomb is an important right-hand option for us. We have a lot of left-handers. We believe we have some good options if there are any late changes or Cameron Green does not make the first Test "McDonald added.
The third and fourth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will be held in Dharamshala (March 1-5) and Ahmedabad (March 8-10). (March 9-13). The series against Australia is crucial for India because a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be held in June 2023, is at stake.