IndvsAus: Spinner Kuhnmann has a chance to play in the second Test: McDonald

New Delhi. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said if the team decides to go with three spinners, left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnman, who has been included in place of Mitchell Swepson, has a chance to make his debut in the second Test against India starting here on February 17. Good chance. Kuhnman (26 years) will join the Australian team in place of leg-spinner Swepson. Swepson is to return home for the birth of her first child as previously planned.

However, he will return to India before the third Test. Macdonald said on Sunday, “He (Kuhnemann) has a good chance to play in the next Test.” There are players available in the team so we can do that if we want to.” Kuhnmann has no international experience, having taken just 35 wickets in 13 first-class matches, and was taken by surprise at the news of his inclusion.

Kuhnman said after Queensland’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria, “The call came yesterday morning when I was going for warm-up. I was very surprised.’ He said, ‘I was lucky that my passport was in my bag. I watched the first Test, it feels so good to watch these series. Todd Murphy was excellent and also look at how Ravindra Jadeja bowled. So very excited to go there.

McDonald, on the other hand, is hopeful of Cameron Green’s availability for the second Test. The young all-rounder is recovering from a finger injury. “We hope so,” MacDonald said. It’s been six weeks now. I think he’s had his last X-ray scan today. His inclusion gives us different options.” Fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who missed the first Test, has arrived here after recovering from a finger injury. The coach said, “Starc will rest today (in Delhi) and then he will train tomorrow.”

Macdonald, however, informed that Josh Hazlewood would not be available for the second Test having missed the series opener due to an ‘Achilles’ (foot problem). He said, “I think his Achilles problem is aggravated. That’s why we don’t want to play him, give him three days’ rest. He said, “The players that we fielded in those conditions, they did not perform as well as we might have expected.