Australia coach Justin Langer suggested Joe Burns would keep his spot ahead of Will Pucovski for the first Test against India. (More Cricket News)
Pucovski, 22, was named in a 17-man Test squad on Thursday, piling the pressure on Burns after scoring 495 runs at an average of 247.5 to begin the Sheffield Shield season.
Burns, meanwhile, has struggled, making just 57 runs in five innings to be in danger of losing his place for the first Test starting in Adelaide on December 17.
While Langer was full of praise for Pucovski, he is prepared to stick with what has helped Australia reach the top of the Test rankings.
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Warner and Burns' partnerships have yielded 1,365 runs at an average of 50.55 for Australia in Tests.
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"[Pucovski has] been amazing hasn't he? And it's exactly what we are looking for, I've said it for a very long time that we want guys who are outside of the team to bang so hard you can't ignore them," Langer told reporters on Friday.
"The fact is he's been so good we can't ignore him, he's been brilliant.
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"That said I've also been consistent with the messaging that last summer we loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner, they have a real synergy, so at this point I'd say that will remain the same.
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"But what Will's doing, what Cameron Green has done, is making a real statement through sheer weight of runs and that's always been a strong foundation for the strength of Australian cricket."
Langer said he wanted Australia to have consistency in their line-up, and he is prepared to back the players who currently hold their spots.
"We went through a period where there was lots of ins and outs, and in my view, we should back the guys in there," he said.
"That can change, but it's a pretty strong philosophy to stick to."
