BRISBANE: In what comes as a big blow, Australia might miss the services of Josh Hazlewood not just for the rest of the third Test, but also the remainder of the series.
According to a Cricket Australia statement, the pacer who walked off the field in the morning of day four at The Gabba is likely to be ruled out of the next two matches due to calf strain.
The veteran pacer, who missed the second Test due to side strain, evidently pulled up his right calf muscle during warm-ups ahead of day four. He bowled one over in the first hour but just after drinks walked off the field. Medical scans revealed that the pacer had strained his calf and is likely to miss the rest of the series. “A replacement will be made in due course,” said a CA spokesperson on Cricket.com.au.
Even as Australia missed their frontline pacer, Pat Cummins and Co reduced India to 141/6 before getting to 194/7. India captain Sharma failed once again leaving the lower order susceptible to relatively newer ball. However, KL Rahul revived the batting with Ravindra Jadeja before getting out for 84. Nitish Reddy kept Jadeja company but Cummins persisted and removed the youngster. At tea, India were 201/7 with Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj in the middle.