Burns feels heat at short leg

As a short leg fieldsman, Australia's Joe Burns makes a great Test opener.

Burns' initiation into the sometimes-dangerous fielding position in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane proved tough, missing catches off Mitchell Johnson in each innings.

But it's doubtful he dreaded it as much as his predecessor Chris Rogers.

Rogers revealed he could empathise with Burns' plight after his own short leg stint led to him contemplating retirement in the wake of Phillip Hughes' tragic death.

At 37, Rogers thought he was too old to be fielding so close to the batsman in front of the wicket when first assigned the task in the first Test against India in Adelaide last summer.

"I did a double take (when assigned short leg)," Rogers told ABC Grandstand radio.

"I felt I was too old to be in there with my reflexes.

"But when you are asked to field at short leg for Australia, you don't say no."

Struck on the hip while fielding in Adelaide, Rogers said he almost walked away from the game after next being hit by Rohit Sharma on the back of the helmet - just like Hughes was by a bouncer when batting - at Brisbane's second Test.

"I had been pretty lucky all my career - I thought 'how much more luck was I going to have?'," Rogers said.

"Everything had been magnified (after Hughes' death).

"We thought we were invincible. I think it (Hughes' death) put everything in perspective - it was a horrible time."

Rogers put retirement thought aside when he thought about the looming Ashes tour to England.

"I thought this was what I was dreaming of, the challenge in England," he said.

At 26, age is not an obstacle to fielding at short leg for Burns.

But Rogers joked that Burns may still have a master plan to get out of fielding in the sometimes dangerous position after watching him miss chances from Kiwi batsman Martin Guptill in Brisbane.

"If you drop everything you get kicked out," Rogers laughed.

Plenty of short leg practice may loom for Burns.

But it seems the opener spot is agreeing with the Queenslander in his first Test in 10 months.

Burns hit 71 in the first dig against New Zealand before hitting two sixes in three balls to bring up his maiden Test ton in the second, finishing with a fine 129.