Josh Hazlewood recently suggested that he was saving the Mankad dismissal for Cheteshwar Pujara

Australian star Josh Hazlewood took a cheeky swipe at Cheteshwar Pujara during an awards ceremony.

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the biggest names to have used that dismissal for India while this was also on show during a recent U19 World Cup match.

Hazlewood claimed that the next one to be dismissed in that fashion would be Pujara. India face Australia in a Test series later this year, and it seems that the first shot has already been fired.

🗣 "I hope I don't find myself in that situation." – Meg Lanning

🗣 "I reckon I'll save that one for the next time … at Pujara." – Josh Hazlewood@gradecricketer chats with the Aussies about the Mankad 😅 pic.twitter.com/8pSpWSU8a6

— #7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 19, 2020

The Indian star might not play too much cricket in the shorter formats, but he is a great option in Tests.

Pujara also responded to the threat from Hazlewood and claimed that he was preparing for any such Mankad moves.

Thanks for the heads up Josh, I might have to include it in my preparation 😂😂😂 https://t.co/GILpI2dXUn

— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) February 20, 2020

Australia vs India always has some bad blood in it and with the Men in Blue doing well over the past few months, this should be a great encounter.

Many fans also shared their views on the Mankad possibility and were waiting to see how Pujara does against the Aussies:

Sir you are the best

— Somendra Sharma (@Somendr22389126) February 20, 2020

😂😂😂

— Vishal Misal-Patil 🇮🇳 (@VishalM06000788) February 20, 2020

Shabash steeve😜😜😜😜

— Ninad Indapurkar (@IndapurkarNinad) February 20, 2020

For 100 in 1st test match pic.twitter.com/gVg64tuyqo

— JIGAR JHAVERI (@jigarjhaveri) February 20, 2020

😂😂

— Priyanshu Singh (@Deewana__Dil) February 20, 2020

India have other concerns presently

Australia should be a worry in the future as the Men in Blue first take on New Zealand in a couple of Tests.

The Men in Blue whitewashed New Zealand in the T20I series but received the same fate in the ODI series with the hosts running out winners.

The Tests will be an important barometer to see how our side does in tough conditions. We have been great in the shorter formats of the game recently, and it will be interesting to see if our batsmen can deal with the bouncy wickets easily.

More cricket news

• Sunil Gavaskar questions MS Dhoni over his sabbatical from cricket

• Twitter reacts to the brilliant Siddharth Kaul hat-trick against Andhra in Ranji Trophy

• Shadab Khan in hot water after Dubai-based girl accuses him of blackmail

Follow our dedicated cricket page for instant cricket news and updates