Australian team arrives in India in two batches

The entire Australian limited overs squad has flown into to India in two separate batches. While the first batch reached Chennai on Friday, the second one had flown in from Bangladesh on Saturday which includes skipper Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner. Australia is set to take on India in a 5-match ODI series followed by a 3-match T20 series.

Smith led his side to a face-saving win at Chittagong earlier in the week which meant the series was shared by Bangladesh and Australia after 10 days of compelling Test cricket. The first batch includes shorter format specialists – Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson. Fast bowler Richardson didn’t figure in the initial squad but was roped in after Josh Hazlewood sustained an injury during the first Test in Mirpur.

Lehmann set to miss this series

Australian coach Darren Lehmann hasn’t traveled to India with the team and is reportedly going to give this series a miss. His deputy, David Saker, would take charge of the team during their time in India. The 14-man squad will play a practice game on September 12 against a Board President’s XI, which will be led by Gurkeerat Singh Mann.

The first ODI will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on September 17 followed by the second one at Eden Gardens on September 21. The other ODIs will be played in Indore on September 24, Bengaluru on September 28 and Nagpur on October 1. The T20 series will commence after the conclusion of the 50-over series.

Australia have returned for the limited overs leg as they played a 4-Test series in India which concluded in March. The Test series was played with a lot of acrimony as both sides left no stone unturned to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy. In the end, Kohli’s men were superior to Smith’s and took the series 2-1. The ODI series is expected to be less fierce than the Test one.