Khawaja’s on course for clash with India
USMAN Khawaja is confident he’s fully recovered from his injured knee after being named in Australia’s first Test squad to play India.
The left-hander will play his first game of cricket in a month next week when Queensland face Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.
Yet to take the field since undergoing surgery on a meniscus tear suffered in warm-ups during the second Test against Pakistan in the UAE, Khawaja was yesterday named in 14man squad for the Adelaide Oval meeting with the Indians.
Khawaja says his appearance for the Bulls next week is not a fitness test and his knee is fully recovered.
“I’m going fine right now. It’s just about playing some cricket now,” the 31-year-old said.
“I wouldn’t be playing if I wasn’t feeling like I could play a game. “I’ve had a pretty high workload the last two weeks. Batted, ran, fielded ... everything’s going well thus far.”
Adelaide looms as Pakistan-born Khawaja’s first Test against India. In two Tests at the venue, he averages 54.50 with one century and a 50.
Often criticised for his struggles against spin bowling, Khawaja produced an epic innings of 141 against Pakistan in Dubai which helped Australia rescue a draw in the first Test.
A liberal use of the reverse sweep was a key feature of that innings and Khawaja says he won’t be putting the shot away against the Indian spinners. “It’s all about execution in the end,” he said.
“It’s taken me about at least three or four years to get to where I am now. I still keep practising it,” he said.