Melbourne: Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has stated that he is ready to play at any batting position in the Test team ahead of their first match against India on December 6.
The 31-year-old opener, who was recently been named in the 14-member Australian squad for the first two Tests against India, expressed confidence in giving the opening batsman role to Victoria batter Marcus Harris.
“I’m happy to bat wherever. I’ve said that to Painey. He (Harris) is obviously an opener. I expect him to open,” Cricket.com.au quoted Khawaja, as saying.
The left-hand batsman, who was out of action since undergoing a surgery on a torn meniscus which he had sustained during their Test series against Pakistan, said that he is feeling good at training and is hoping for things to remain good in future as well.
“I’m fine right now,” he said. “It’s just about playing some cricket now. It’s feeling alright at training. I’ve done as much as I can at training so hopefully, fingers crossed, it keeps going well,” Khawaja said.
“I’ve had a pretty high workload the last two weeks; batted, ran, fielded. Everything is going well thus far,” he added.
Reflecting on the omission of left-hand batsman Matt Renshaw from the Australian Test squad, Khawaja said that the development would prove to be a learning experience for the batter.
“I’m sure (Renshaw) is (disappointed). He’s a quality player. I’m sure he’s going to go out and score lots of runs in Shield cricket this season. I expect him to have a very bright future. I’ve been in their shoes before. Being dropped is never fun. But it’s all a learning experience, it’s all about growth,” Khawaja said.
Indian and Australia are slated to play their first Test of the four-match series from December 6 to 10 at the Adelaide Oval.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]