Opening batsman Marcus Harris has been called into Australia’s squad as the hosts count the cost of a number of injuries ahead of the first Test against India in Adelaide.
David Warner had already been ruled out after a groin injury in the one-day series, while Will Pucovski suffered a concussion after being hit on his helmet while batting for Australia A against the tourists.
Warner did not travel with the Australians to Adelaide as he continues his rehabilitation and is targeting a comeback in the second Test in Melbourne on Boxing Day. Harris has been in fine form this summer, posting 239 against South Australia in his first innings of this season's Marsh Sheffield Shield as part of the highest-ever Shield stand of 486 alongside Pucovski.
The uncapped Pucovski looked set to replace Warner in the first Test XI but the 22-year-old is still recovering from a mild concussion he sustained batting for Australia A on the last day of the tour match against India at Drummoyne Oval.
“Given the spate of injuries in recent weeks, we’re fortunate to be able to bring a player of Marcus’ calibre into the test squad,” national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement yesterday.
“Marcus has been in outstanding form for Victoria this season and has had the benefit of facing India’s bowlers in both three-day tour matches. We have taken a conservative approach in managing Will since he sustained the concussion and hope he and David will be back to full health ahead of the Boxing Day Test.”
With Warner and Pucovski out, Harris looks set to play his 10th Test and first since the final Test of the 2019 Ashes. The left-hander averages 25.06 with two half-centuries since debuting against India at the Adelaide Oval two summers ago.
Against the touring Indians this summer, Harris has put together scores of 35, 25 not out and 26 in three innings for Australia A, his most recent knock coming yesterday opening the batting with incumbent Test opener Joe Burns.
Harris’s elevation came after another Test hopeful, Cameron Green, suffered a concussion after being struck on the head in a tour game against India on Friday. “I’m in the right place at the right time,” Harris told Fox Sports. 
“It’s been good, not to be the one that’s spoken about too much. I feel pretty ready to go... like I’ve been playing really well. I knew coming here that if I went okay I'd put myself in a position to maybe play, the way that things have been going. But this season I've just been focused on what I need to be focused on. I obviously wasn't in the Test side last summer so I didn’t have that distraction coming into this summer and I've just been focused on what I need to do, so that's been good. Now I've found myself where I am, and I feel pretty ready to go and I'm looking forward to it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Green was ruled out of the rest of Australia A’s pink-ball warm-up against India with mild concussion, plunging their Test preparations into further disarray. 
Green, who was firming for a debut in next week’s opening day-night Test in Adelaide, took a fierce blow to the head on Friday from a powerful drive by Jasprit Bumrah.
Cricket Australia team doctor Pip Inge said the 21-year-old was diagnosed with mild concussion and his availability for Adelaide would be determined in coming days. “This is Cameron’s first concussion,” he told Cricket.com.au late Friday, adding that he would not play the remaining two days of the tour match in Sydney. “We will continue to monitor him and provide an update on his condition in due course.”
Compounding Australia’s problems is Burns’ miserable form. He fell for another duck on Friday evening and has now made just 61 runs from eight innings this season. 
“The footwork is just not there for Joe, he’s just not confident at all at the moment,” former Test captain Allan Border noted.