New Delhi: Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss the first Test match against India that will be played at Nagpur on February 9. Hazlewood succumbed to Achilles tendon injury on his left leg.

This is third major blow up for Australian side after Mitchell Starc finger injury and all-rounder Cameron Green’s finger injury. Cameron Green unlikely to bowl if he plays in the series opener.

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Scott Boland will get golden opportunity

The setback of Josh Hazlewood will now open the door for paceman Scott Boland to play his first Test match outside Australia. Boland’s average is a staggering 12.21 after six Tests, but bowling sub-continent will be tough challenge for the Victorian’s pacer.

“Scotty has bowled plenty at the MCG when it was a flat wicket [and] probably wasn’t swinging or reverse swinging, so he knows how to work hard for a long period of time,” Hazlewood said at Australia’s training camp in Bangalore on Sunday.

“Just that extra load jumping off a soft ground to bowl, and again first Test match [back from injury] – your body is not used to that sort of workload as well,” Hazlewood said.

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“I was bowling a fair bit leading into the [India] tour at home and sort of just pushing up against it. It probably wasn’t recovering as well as I would have liked between each session. So, thought we’d give it a few days here straight off the bat and try and get over the hump and have a bowl from Tuesday and hope it goes well,” he added.

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