Will Play Third Test Even If I Am Not 100% Fit: David Warner

Australian cricketer David Warner missed the first Test against India due to injury. 

(Photo: IANS)

Australia opener David Warner on Saturday said that he will be doing everything possible to get on the ground for the third Test against India in Sydney despite the unlikelihood of him getting 100 per cent fit. Warner added that he will play only if he is able to stretch to take catches in the slips and quick singles while batting.

The Australia opening batsman, who was ruled out of the first two Test matches after suffering a groin injury during the second ODI on November 29, has undergone rehabilitation taking jabs, using hyperbaric oxygen chamber and penguin cryotherapy for quick recovery.

"Am I going to be a 100 per cent? It is highly doubtful. But I will be doing everything I can to be able to get on that park and play and even if I am not a 100 per cent I will let the selectors give me that green light," Warner told the media on Saturday morning during a virtual interaction.

Warner says that he will get a clear idea of where he stands during the training sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

"We have a training session today and tomorrow. I can't give you any more indication of where I am at. I haven't ran the last couple of days but today and tomorrow will give me a better indication of where I am," he added.

The dashing batsman said that playing his shots is not a worry but it is the running between the wickets and taking catches in slips by moving to his right and left that will matter eventually in deciding if he is fit to play.

"Batting in the nets the other day actually helped me because I had to wait for the ball to be in my actual area. I mean I didn't have to throw my hand at it, so that actually made me play nice and tight. You are going to have some restrictions here and there. But I think when you are getting into the game, adrenaline takes over as well. You don't cast any doubt over your ability to play shots," he said.

"For me, it is about the speed between wickets. That is all that matters. It doesn't matter about what shots I can and can't play. It is about drop and run, helping the guy at the other end get off-strike. They are the things that I work on. They are the things that I like to be 100% fit for. In this case I am not going to be but I am going to work out myself in the nets on how I am going to manage that. That is going to be the most important thing for myself and the team," Warner added.

The 34-year-old batsman, who captains Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League added that he will also not play if he is unable to move in the slips to take catches moving to his right and left.

"I know I can manage the shot-making… it is whether or not I have the capacity of catching the ball left and right of myself and with Gazza (Nathan Lyon) bowling. Am I going to field at first slip or leg slip? I have got to be agile enough to make sure that I am taking those chances because if I am not, given the 50% of the time of the Test that I (and Australia) will on the field, I don't want to be dropping those chances and not giving our team the best chance of taking them. That is all it comes down to," he said.

(With IANS Inputs)