National selection chair George Bailey shuts down calls for WA’s Josh Inglis to open in India test series

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National selection chair George Bailey shuts down calls for WA’s Josh Inglis to open in India test series

National selection chair George Bailey has comprehensively shut down calls for West *********** Josh Inglis to open the batting against India this summer.

The keeper-batter is one of the country’s hottest players, peeling off two match-turning hundreds in two Sheffield Shield outings to rescue his side on top of making centuries at International level in white-ball cricket.

It led to New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd thrusting the crafty run-maker into the debate over who fills Australia’s vacancy alongside Usman Khawaja at the top of the Test match order.

However, while Bailey admitted the 29-year-old had been in selection discussions as a specialist batter behind incumbent keeper Alex Carey, it would not be opening the batting.

“I’ve spoken to Josh on (opening), not in the short term,” he said.

“I don’t think that he’s someone that would be looking to place at the top of the order, but there’s no doubt that the form is really fantastic at the moment, as we’ve seen when he has been playing for Australia, and then the ability to jump back into domestic cricket and dominate, as he has been, it’s been fantastic.

“So I think different series at different times of the year he would firmly come into the mix, purely as a batter, the way he’s been going.

“And I think if the right opportunity opened up throughout the summer. You know, we’ve got some in the spots where we think he’s capable of performing, and I think he’d be firmly in that conversation as well.”

Bailey’s comments leave a four-horse race between Sam Konstas, Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Nathan McSweeney for the position, with the two Australia A contests with India starting on Thursday looming as a deciding bat-off.

McSweeney’s, who will lead the A team, bid is gaining steam after former Australia coach Darren Lehmann endorsed the 25-year-old’s selection case on Monday.

He has scored 291 Sheffield Shield runs in his previous four innings, including an unbeaten 127 against NSW, and made 137 from 131 ****** in the One-Day Cup clash against Queensland.

Against India and England (in 2025-26) where you are up against quality fast bowling you want someone who bats at the top of the order, and for me at the moment it is down to two … Konstas and McSweeney,” Lehmann said.

Camera IconNathan McSweeney of South Australia celebrates 100 runs. Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“I am probably (leaning towards) McSweeney. I have seen a bit more of him of late. I haven’t seen enough of Sam. There is a theory with Sam that he gets beaten on the inside a bit and plays away from his body, and I have seen that, but I still think he is a very fine player.

“He is making runs and that is all you can do, just as McSweeney made another hundred. If it gets down to form, you can pick one of those two.”

Despite having been one of the shield’s most prolific batters across the last three seasons and making good runs in English County Cricket, Bancroft appears a firm outsider for the position after start the summer with red-ball scores of zero, zero, eight and two.

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