Sydney: Right-handed opener Will Pucovski, who is slated to open the Australia innings in the first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval, on Tuesday survived a concussion scare on the third and final day of the practice match between India ‘A’ and Australia ‘A’ at the Drummoyne Oval.
Pucovski was hit on the helmet by a delivery from India ‘A’ pacer Kartik Tyagi in the 13th over of the second innings of Australia ‘A’. He immediately went down and stayed on the ground before he had to return to the dressing room as retired hurt.
It has been learnt through Australian media that the injury is not serious and the ambulance left the stadium without taking him. However, he has been ruled out of the second warm-up match, a day-night fixture, that begins Friday.
“Will experienced mild concussion symptoms but was able to leave the field unassisted,” team doctor John Orchard said.
“He was monitored in our medical room and was communicating freely with staff and teammates as well as family over the phone. We will continue to monitor Will over the coming days and provide an update on his condition in due course,” Orchard added.
Pucovski returned with scores of 1 and 23 in the warm-up which ended in a draw.
The 22-year-old has a history of concussion-related injuries, having suffered similar injuries seven or eight times in his cricketing career. Pucovski, in the past, linked concussions to his mental health battles and withdrew himself from Test selection last year to focus on his mental health.
