India vs Australia: Visitors announce T20I and ODI squad for the tour

Australia, on Thursday, announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming limited-overs tour of India. The visitors will play two T20Is and five ODIs against India with the series starting later this month. Fast-bowler Mitchell Starc and allrounder Mitchell Marsh are the biggest absentees from the squad. Starc has been ruled out of the series with a pectoral injury he sustained on the final day of the second Test against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Marsh has paid the price for his poor form.

Overall, Australia dropped three players from the team that played against India at home last month and lost the ODIs 2-1. Apart from Marsh, the other players to miss out are veteran Peter Siddle and pacer Billy Stanlake. Siddle, who was a surprise inclusion in the team for that series, had managed to pick up just two wickets in three games while conceding nearly seven runs per over. Stanlake, on the other hand, had played just one game and had gone wicketless for 49 runs.

Australia have recalled pacers Kane Richardson, the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing BBL, and Nathan Coulter-Nile in addition to including batsman Ashton Turner in the squad. D’Arcy Short, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing BBL, is also in the squad but just as a cover for Shaun Marsh who is nursing an injury as well as waiting for the birth of his second child. Marsh is expected to join the team for the third ODI.

New vice-captain

Australia have named in-form pacer Pat Cummins as the joint vice-captain along with Alex Carey. Cummins, fresh off the Man of the Series performance against Sri Lanka, has been given the responsibility in absence of Josh Hazlewood who is sidelined with a back stress fracture.

The much-awaited series will start with two T20Is on February 24 and 27 in Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru respectively. The first ODI will be played in Hyderabad on March 2, the second in Nagpur on March 5, while Ranchi will host the third ODI on March 8. The last two games will be played in Mohali and Delhi on March 10 and 13 respectively.

Australia T20I/ODI squad for India tour

Aaron Finch (c), Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa, D’Arcy Short (cover for Marsh)

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