Josh Hazlewood is adamant none of Australia‘s fast-bowling cartel will be rested against India, but concedes playing every Test together may be a tough task.
The trio of Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins managed to play all five of the side’s red-ball games last summer in a rare feat for the group.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his impending return to domestic duties with NSW, the towering 33-year-old said the days of a rotation policy remain in the rear-view mirror despite last year’s iron man efforts from the quicks.
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“We did it last year, but it was probably a one-off,” Hazlewood said.
“We field the same question every year – if you’re fit, you play and if you’re not, you don’t play. It’s as simple as that, no one rests a Test match.
“We’ve got enough in the stable to roll through a couple of guys who we know do can do a really good job and put real big pressure on us from time to time … no dramas there.”
The back-up options that Hazlewood alludes to would be Scott Boland and Michael Neser, with both men continually knocking on the door for Test selection.
Hazlewood will line up for NSW next week against Queensland in what looms as a crucial hit-out for the ever-consistent Tamworth product ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“You can do as much as you want in the nets and with the recent series in England, my one-day cricket is up to speed,” he said.
“But probably more important is the Shield game next week, to get out there and just have those longer spells … all those things you need to sort of tick off, we haven’t had that opportunity in the last few years to do that.
“I think anything around 30 is a really good workout. As I said, tick all those boxes of the back-to-back bowling and those sort of things.
“Get the miles in the legs and get ready for Test cricket.”
India will come into the five-Test series with some confidence after their exploits last time in Australia, but their most recent performance against New Zealand could be weighing heavily on the mind of Virat Kohli and company.
But after being rolled for 46 in the first innings against the Black Caps, Hazlewood is certain the Indian batting group will bounce back in time for their trip Down Under.
“They are a pretty resilient group,” he said.
“As we saw in the second innings, they got 400-odd. They are just blips on the radar for them. They’re a dangerous team and I think that doesn’t happen too often.”
The first Test will begin on November 22 in Perth.