Highlights:
- Steve Smith named captain for Australia in the upcoming ODI series against India, while Pat Cummins remains in Australia due to personal tragedy.
- David Warner has resumed training and will return for the ODI series, while Cricket Australia has not named a replacement for Cummins.
- Australia’s match against India in Mumbai is scheduled for March 17.
According to Cricket Australia, Steve Smith will lead the Australian team in the ODI series against India while Pat Cummins would remain at home. After playing against India in the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cummins had returned home to be with his ailing mother, who was receiving palliative care. Cummins’ mother tragically died a few days later. The Australian squad was headed by Steve Smith in the third and fourth Tests against Australia without the pacer. Andrew McDonald, the head coach of Australia, confirmed the news by saying that Smith will remain in charge of the team throughout the visit of India.
Australian cricket coach, Andrew McDonald, has announced that Pat Cummins will not be returning for the upcoming ODI series against India due to his personal tragedy. “Pat won’t be coming back, he’s still taking care of what’s happened back home,” McDonald said. He expressed his condolences to Cummins and his family during this difficult time.
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On the positive side, McDonald has also confirmed that David Warner, who missed the last two Tests, has resumed training in Ahmedabad and will return to the side for the ODI series. However, Cricket Australia has yet to name a replacement for Cummins in the squad.
In terms of the bowling lineup, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, and Mitchell Starc are expected to lead the pace attack in the 3-match ODI series starting on March 17. The coach also mentioned that they are considering different team combinations, especially since they have selected many all-rounders in the squad. “We’ve got a couple conversations around the balance of the team we want to play… So we’ve got to answer a few of those questions,” he said.
The Australian squad for the ODI series includes Steve Smith as captain, along with Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.