Josh Hazlewood out of India series due to Achilles complaint

That question was answered comprehensively yesterday, when Australia coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that Hazlewood was to be sent home for the remainder of the series.

"Josh Hazlewood out, he'll be going home," McDonald said.

The Bendemeer-raised fast bowler has been battling Achilles tendonitis and has not recovered in time to win selection for the last two tests of the series.

In the same press conference, McDonald said that Dave Warner is "still sore at the moment" and uncertain to start in the next two tests as he continues his recovery from the concussion and hairline elbow fracture incurred during the game in Delhi.

"We're in no rush to make any decisions at this point in time around Davey. Just seeing how that settles, how functional that is," McDonald said.

The news comes just hours after Australian captain Pat Cummins was confirmed to be headed home due to a family health issue.

Hazlewood has not donned the baggy green since the New Year's test in Sydney against South Africa, where he claimed five wickets for the match.

The Achilles issue began bothering Hazlewood in that game, which he attributed to the wet surface.

"We obviously bowled after a lot of rain and the jump-offs were quite soft, where we were taking off from and they ended up replacing them as well," Hazlewood told reporters prior to the beginning of the India series.

"It sort of worked to a degree, but just that extra load jumping off a soft ground to bowl and again first Test match [back from injury] your body is not used to that sort of workload as well.

"I was bowling a fair bit leading into the [India] tour at home and sort of just pushing up against it. It probably wasn't recovering as well as I would have liked between each session."

It is the latest in a string of injuries that have plagued his international career since in recent years.

While he has become a formidable presence in T20 cricket, Hazlewood has stalled in tests, with just eight matches to his name since the end of 2019.

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