Pink ball debut looms as latest test for Green

In-form allrounder Cameron Green will tick off another requirement for a potential Test debut in Adelaide when he encounters the pink-ball under day-night conditions for the first time in this week's three-day tour game against India.

Green was today confirmed in the 12-man Australia A squad for the first-class match starting Friday at the SCG, which will provide the first and last opportunity for players to hone their pink-ball skills under the same match conditions as the opening Vodafone Series fixture at Adelaide Oval from next week.

The 21-year-old is certain to play in the warm-up game against a full-strength India outfit, with fellow Test squad members Joe Burns, Sean Abbott and Mitchell Swepson also included in the 12 while the remainder of Australia's expanded Test group assembles in Adelaide.

Former ODI vice-captain Alex Carey will lead the Australia A team that also includes allrounder Moises Henriques and pace bowlers Mark Steketee, Harry Conway and Will Sutherland.

With opener David Warner already ruled out of the series opener due to a groin injury, and uncapped Victorian Will Pucovksi rested from the tour game and in doubt for a possible Test debut due to mild concussion, Marcus Harris is expected to open alongside Burns at the SCG.

Should Pucovski be deemed unavailable after being struck while batting on the final day of Australia A's three-day warm-up game against the Indians at Drummoyne Oval yesterday, it seems likely Harris would accompany Burns at the top of the order in the first Vodafone Test.

Cricket Australia said Pucovski was still experiencing "mild" concussion symptoms on Wednesday as he remains in Sydney with the Australia A squad.

Green has ensured he is also in the conversation for a Test debut in Adelaide after scoring an unbeaten 125 at Drummoyne and claiming the wickets of Indian openers Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw in the tourists' second innings.

However, he revealed today he has yet to be involved in a day-night game where the pink ball – which is known to behave differently to its red counterpart, especially around nightfall – is used and admits he faces a steep learning curve against what's expected to be a full-strength India line-up.

"For whatever reason I keep dodging the day-night games back in domestic cricket," Green said today prior to heading to the SCG to practice with his Australia A teammates.

"So I'll have a training session today and that will be the first time I've ever faced it or bowled with it.

"That will be pretty interesting.

"I've spoken to a few guys, and they say if you’re batting at night but you're already in, it seems like it's okay.

"It's just when you're new to the crease that it's very tough to try and get yourself in.

"There's a lot of guys I can talk to in the next couple of days to work out plans and what to do."

Despite bowling first-change at Drummoyne Oval, after fellow Australia A seamer Jackson Bird was sidelined with a calf strain, Green's workloads with the ball remain closely monitored as he continues his recovery from back stress fractures he sustained last summer.

As a result, he will continue to be restricted to spells of no more than four overs and a couple of times a day, although he confirmed that program might be revised "in a couple of weeks" in consultation with Cricket Australia strength and conditioning staff.

It means the hugely talented, 199cm all-rounder – who is averaging more than 97 with the bat in first-class games so far this summer – will be playing as essentially a specialist batter if selected for his Test debut in the Vodafone Series.

He said today he's not held any discussions with men's team coach Justin Langer or national selectors about the likelihood of earning a Baggy Green cap, and acknowledges elevation to the current Test team is a tough ask even with the ongoing injury concerns.

"I think it's an incredibly hard team to break into," he said.

"It seems pretty settled at the moment, apart from a few injuries like Davey (Warner) at the top and that's not really a position I'm vying for.

"All I can do is make myself available and get myself ready.

"I'm sure most guys would say the same, but you never really know if you're ready (for Test cricket).

"All I can really do is play well in the next game, it's going to be tough against a full-strength India side with the pink ball in Sydney."

Green experienced a foretaste of the step up to Test level at Drummoyne, where he faced Test-capped seamer Umesh Yadav and spinners Ravi Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav during his 202-ball innings.

He said there was a clear distinction in the quality of Umesh's bowling compared to the Indians other seamers, and he expects a similar challenge if (as expected) India deploys their likely Test new-ball pair Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami at the SCG later this week.

"You could obviously tell the world-class skill of Umesh Yadav," Green said of his first experience against an international-standard bowling attack.

"He was bowling down-breeze on a wicket that had a bit in it for them, and that was incredibly tough.

"I'll be facing (Bumrah and Shami) in a couple of days' time with the pink ball, so that will be another new challenge for myself and maybe a few other guys who haven't faced them before.

"(Bumrah) is world-class and has got such a unique bowling action, so that will definitely take some time to get used to.

"You've just got to take your game to another level and work really hard to get through him, and just hope it gets a bit easier the more you face him.

"When you play Shield cricket you face guys countless times and see countless bits of footage of them, so you've got a better idea of what you're facing.

"But Australian domestic cricket holds you in good stead, it's a really tough comp … and every team's got world-class players."

Australia A squad: Joe Burns, Marcus Harris, Moises Henriques, Cameron Green, Nic Maddinson, Alex Carey (c, wk), Ben McDermott, Sean Abbott, Will Sutherland, Harry Conway, Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT