Australia’s bid to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has taken another hit after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the second Test with a side strain.

Already sweating on the fitness of Mitch Marsh, Australia suffered a further blow on Saturday when medical staff put Hazlewood on ice for the day-night Test in Adelaide with a sore left side. The injury is not thought to be serious and Hazlewood will remain around the Test squad ahead of the third Test in Brisbane.

Scott Boland is the man most likely to replace the seamer in Adelaide on Friday, while Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have also been called into the Test squad as reinforcements. But the injury to Hazlewood is the last thing Australia needed, as they look to fight back from 1-0 down to win a five-Test series for the first time since 1997.

Hazlewood was Australia’s best bowler in in Perth, getting the prized scalp of Virat Kohli the first innings and finishing with four for 29. But he is now likely paying the price for Australia’s long stint in the field in the second innings, where he sent down 21 overs and India batted for five sessions.

The 33-year-old had endured a long run of injuries in the lead up to the 2023 Ashes, with side injuries the main reason for him playing just four Tests in two years. However, he has largely got through unscathed since then with only a minor calf strain ruling him out of white-ball matches earlier this year.

Hazlewood’s injury will likely open the door for Boland’s first Test since last year’s Ashes, when England made a point to go after the Victorian seamer.

Boland himself has also only played two first-class matches this summer on return from a foot injury. The 35-year-old is also part of a Prime Minister’s XI side facing India this weekend at a rain-soaked Manuka Oval.

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Beyond Adelaide, the door is now open for Abbott or Doggett to debut in Brisbane, given the brief three-day gap between the next two Tests. If Hazlewood does not return in time, one of the pair could likely act as cover if any of the three quicks face a heavy workload throughout the summer.

Doggett’s rise is perhaps the most remarkable, given he was only called into the Australia A side to face India A late, before taking six for 15 against the tourists in Mackay. The 30-year-old has previously been part of Australia’s squad for a Test series against Pakistan in the UAE in 2018, but did not play.

Abbott has also consistently been on the fringes of Australia’s Test side, but is yet to win a baggy green. He has taken 13 wickets at an average of 19.84 for NSW this summer in the Shield, and did not play in the A series due to looming Australian white-ball commitments.

Hazlewood’s injury comes as Australia continue to wait on Mitch Marsh and his sore ankle, having called Beau Webster into the squad as cover on Thursday. It’s thought that even if Marsh does play in Adelaide, Webster would be every chance to debut in Brisbane given the short turnaround and concerns over Marsh’s fitness.