India may not have to deal with the threat of Johnson in the fourth Test
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Australia left-arm pace bowler may miss the fourth Test against India in Sydney after complaining of hamstring soreness.
As a precautionary measure, Johnson did not travel to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for Australia’s training session on Saturday.
It has also been announced that Johnson’s hamstring will be assessed closer to the start of the match, which begins on January 6.
If Johnson were to be ruled out of the fourth Test, Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle are the two frontrunners to replace him.
Starc, who featured in the second Test against India in Brisbane, has admitted that he is eager to represent his country once again.
“It depends on the fitness levels of other blokes and how they pulled up from last week,” Starc said. “I’ll always prepare to play, and I feel like the ball’s coming out well from the last two BBL games, I’ll keep doing the same and preparing to go. It comes back to any cricket that I play, to keep taking wickets and preparing the best I can.
“The amount of cricket I’ve played with the white ball means I’ve got that added confidence in my game and what I want to do whether its in four overs or 10 overs. It comes back to playing more red ball cricket and stringing a few games together, which comes back to performing in games as well. I think in those four to 10 overs with the white ball I know my game really well.
“We all adjust differently but with four overs, T20 cricket’s done and dusted pretty quickly. It’s 24 balls to nail as best you can and I guess I know that side of my game really well and am happy with where that’s at. It’s more coming back to the red ball cricket and getting that consistency I need and that starts with my preparation this week.
“I don’t get the red ball in my hands too often these days, but it’s still a Kookaburra, so it’s still going to swing at the start and hopefully reverse somewhere towards the end. In my game it comes back to my accountability and getting that consistency out of myself.”