The Australian cricket team suffered a big blow ahead of the deciding fourth and final Test against India in Brisbane on January 15 as Will Pucovski has been ruled out of the match due to a shoulder injury. Pucovski, who made his debut in Sydney and impressed with a solid 62 in the first innings, injured his shoulder while fielding in India's fourth innings during the third Test. Australia skipper Tim Paine confirmed the news when he announced that Pucovski has been ruled out and Marcus Harris has been included back in the side to partner David Warner. According to reports, Pucovski did not train in Brisbane and had a short stint in the indoor nets on Thursday morning but did not take part in the fielding drills.
The rest of the Australian line-up is the same and this gives Marcus Harris a chance to redeem his Test career. Marcus Harris made his Test debut against India in the 2018/19 series and he impressed with a couple of fifties in Perth and Sydney. After a poor run against Sri Lanka and in the Ashes against England in 2019, Marcus Harris was dropped from the side. With Joe Burns failing and the Australian top order looking for stability in the absence of Will Pucovski, Marcus Harris would be keen to repeat his form against India and cement his place in the long run for the Australian cricket team. Australia has not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988 and they will be keen to ensure that they regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with another stellar showing at their fortress.
Australia's latest injury update is nothing when it comes to the problems faced by the Indian cricket team. Before the start of the series, they lost Ishant Sharma due to injury. After the end of the Adelaide Test, they had to head into the rest of the tour without the services of Mohammed Shami as his arm was fractured following a blow from a Pat Cummins bouncer. In the Melbourne Test, Umesh Yadav was also out due to a calf injury. In the Sydney Test, the list of injuries only mounted for the Indian team.
Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the series after dislocating his thumb while Hanuma Vihari is also out after suffering a grade 2 hamstring tear. Jasprit Bumrah has also been sidelined with an abdominal strain while there is a major fitness cloud over Ravichandran Ashwin and Mayank Agarwal. India is expected to announce their playing 11 later in the day, with Ajinkya Rahane fielding a totally new playing 11 especially when it comes to the bowling line-up.
Australia XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.