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According to fresh reports, Australian batter Will Pucovski and seven other players will travel to Chennai for a 10-day training camp next month as part of an exchange program with MRF Pace Foundation. Reportedly, the 10-day camp is part of a longstanding reciprocal deal between Cricket Australia and the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.
Apart from Will Pucovski, Josh Philippe, Teague Wyllie and Cooper Connolly, Henry Hunt, spinners Matt Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy and Tanveer Sangha are the other players who are coming to India for the training camp from August 7 to 17. As part of the deal, Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath and former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thilan Samaraweera will be part of the coaching staff as part of his role as a consultant at the MRF Academy.
Commenting on the development, Australia men's selector Tony Dodemaide has said that the players will get unique experience to train under the guidance of legends of the game. "Some have toured the subcontinent in the past so this trip will further refine their skills while others will gain valuable new experience in these testing conditions," said Tony Dodemaide.
Reports have also claimed that Indian pacer Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Choudhary will participate in the T20 Max series in Queensland next month as part of an exchange program.
Speaking of Pucovski, he made his Test debut against India last year in January but had dislocated his shoulder during the match and had to undergo surgery. Later, he suffered a concussion last October due to which he was out of action, but he made a remarkable comeback while playing in the Marsh Sheffield Shield final.
Despite decent performance at the back end of the summer, he was not named in the Australia 'A' for Sri Lanka tour but reports have suggested that Pucovski could be in the scheme of things for the Test tour of India. Notably, Australia team will tour India to play four-Tests next year in February.
Prior to that, Australian cricket team will tour India for a three-match T20I series in September this year. The T20I series will be followed by the T20I World Cup, slated to take place in Australia this year.