Australia captain Pat Cummins has dismissed any speculation about David Warner’s potential return for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is set to kick off on November 22 in Perth. While Warner had hinted at his willingness to come out of Test retirement, Cummins made it clear that the former opener is not part of Australia’s plans for the series against India.

With a five-Test blockbuster series ahead, selectors are grappling with the decision of who will open alongside Usman Khawaja. Warner, who had retired from Test cricket earlier this year, made headlines when he expressed his readiness to return. Speaking to Code Sports, the 37-year-old said : 

“I’m always available, just got to pick up the phone. I’m always dead serious. Let’s be honest, the guys have played one red-ball game since their last Test matches in February, so I’ve almost had the same preparation. Honestly, if they really needed myself for this series, I’m more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play.”

However, Cummins quickly shut down any such rumors. In an interview with The Grade Cricketer, Cummins humorously revealed a recent phone conversation he had with Warner. “I did speak to Dave a couple of days ago; he said ‘what do you think?’, and I said ‘yep, good luck with the [Sydney] Thunder this year, mate,’” Cummins laughed, adding, “Look forward to all your comments on Fox Sports.”

Cummins hinted that Warner’s remarks might have been a playful tease. “I reckon it is a bit of a wind-up, I reckon he doesn’t mind seeing himself in the back page and he starts believing it,” Cummins continued. “We love Davey, but he’s retired, sorry Dave.

Despite the speculation, Cummins has remained tight-lipped on who will open alongside Khawaja, stating that a decision is yet to be made. “If I knew, I probably still wouldn’t tell you, but I don’t know,” he said. “Every year, there’s one batting spot [up for debate]. There’s still water to go under the bridge, I just love seeing it all play out almost as an observer."m

Cummins also joked about the various media reports around possible opening candidates. “I’d wake up and in the papers it’s ‘Trav Head is firming as favourite to open the batting’, and I’m like ‘that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of that,’ that’s hilarious.”

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy just under a month away, Cummins emphasized that there’s plenty of time to make final decisions. “That date [November 22] is almost a month away, it’s not going to get here any sooner… we’ve got time, but everyone wants to know right now.”