Will Pucovski, on Thursday, showed precisely why he deserves to don the 'Baggy Green' as he scored an unbeaten 54 off 100 balls before tea break on his Test debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Ruled out of the first two Tests against India due to a concussion after being struck on the helmet off a bouncer from Kartik Tyagi in a tour match at the Drummoyne Oval, Pucovski got handed his Test cap (#460) from Andrew McDonald ahead of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
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Weakness against the short ball
It is a well-documented fact that Pucovski has a weakness against the short ball, having been struck on his helmet on nine occasions in his playing career. Therefore, it came as no surprise as he received a barrage of those during the Pink Test. The pressure of having to counter those deliveries got to him when he almost got out twice in a gap of only three overs.
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Pucovski's charmed life
India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, while standing up to the sticks during the 22nd over, dropped him once off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on 26, before going on to spill a second time, 18 balls later, when Pucovski top-edged a shorter delivery from Mohammed Siraj.
Less than four overs down the line, another opportunity went abegging after there was a bit of hesitation between Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne. An underarm throw from Jasprit Bumrah, however, saw the 22-year-old Victorian survive in the middle.
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