Peter Handscomb come in as cover for injured Aaron Finch

Peter Handscomb will be flying to India as cover for his injured fellow Victorian Aaron Finch. Finch has already been ruled out of the first ODI of the 5-match series due to the calf problem. But the batsman will remain with the squad to play later in the series in case he is fit again. Handscomb will depart for Australia on Saturday and will be available for the selection for the series opener on Sunday.

He was earlier a part of Australia’s Test squad which toured Bangladesh for the two-match Test series. He performed exceptionally well in the series and was key to his team’s victory in the second match which levelled the series 1-1. The Victorian also has the experience of playing in India as he had travelled for the Test series played in February-March which the Aussies lost 1-2.

Finch injury not serious

Although Handscomb has been named as the cover for the Australian opener, the team management believes the injury is not so serious. “Aaron re-aggravated his pre-existing calf injury during warm-up at training yesterday. He has had a scan in Chennai and although we believe it is not a serious recurrence, he will not be available for the first few one-day matches here in India. He will remain with the squad whilst we assess the injury and establish his return to play timelines,” said Bupa Support Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.

Finch was also rested for the warm-up game on Monday and Hilton Cartwright opened along with David Warner in his absence. But the move did not work as Cartwright was dismissed for a second ball duck. However, Australia might want to open with Travis Head for the first ODI as he has the experience of handling the role as well as playing limited-overs format in India. Handscomb might be straight away roped in at No. 4 if Head is promoted up the order.