IND vs AUS | Feel my skills are in a good spot; looking forward to playing India, states Joe Burns
Joe Burns, ahead of the Test series against India, has stated that he feels his skills are in a really good spot but at the same time is looking forward to locking horns with India. He also admitted that David Warner would be a nice luxury to have but wants to raise his hand and put on a show.
After being an instrumental part of the Australian setup that completely smashed the Pakistan and New Zealand bowling attack last summer, Joe Burns' recent form has seen a real concern over his place in the playing XI. The Queenslander who formed an indestructible partnership with left-handed David Warner at the top amassed 402 runs in 2019, at an average of 44.66.
Alongside that, his presence at the top of the order ensured safety to Warner, who teed off to big scores in the Australian summer. However, with Warner’s injury ahead of the Test series, it has put a huge concern over his fitness for the first Test at Adelaide Oval. His opening partner - Burns hailed Warner’s presence as a ‘nice luxury’ to have but stated that he is ready to put his hands up in case the southpaw misses out on the first Test.
"I think Dave is such a world-class player, it's a nice luxury to have him at the other end. At the same time, I've always said I'll try and take as much responsibility in myself as well. I always talk about the games that Dave got out early, I always wanted to perform in those games,” Burns told Cricket Australia.
However, Burns' form in the Sheffield Shield has caused grave concern amongst the Australian fans, who want the management to instate young Will Pucovski in his place. While Burns might have gone through a rough patch, he feels his skills are in a good spot, ready to take on the challenge of playing against India.
"So the lesson from that is to be a little bit more patient, let the game come and to go from there. I feel like my skills are in a good spot, it's just a decision-making thing and I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing against India."
With Burns a red-ball specialist in the Australian setup, the right-hander had plenty of time on his hand when his teammates were touring England, playing in the IPL, and later hosting India in the limited-overs series. During the winter, Burns revealed that he sat down and made a plan of what was the best way to apply pressure to the visiting bowlers, who left an impact last year.
“Basically during the whole winter, I sat down and went through what the Indian squad was likely to be and what their plans are, and how they get wickets. Not only how to keep them out, but how to score runs off them and the best way to apply pressure to them.
"Every bowling attack is a little bit different, especially guys coming from the subcontinent compared to last summer against New Zealand, so there are different challenges and you have to adapt to give us the best chance to go well."
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