D'Arcy Short replaces Warner, Cummins rested for white-ball games
Senior players David Warner and Pat Cummins will miss the rest of Australia's white-ball matches against India. Warner, who suffered a groin strain in the second ODI, has returned home and will begin his rehab in order to be fit for the first Test. Meanwhile, Cummins will be rested, having played non-stop since August-September. Further, opener D'Arcy Short has officially joined the T20I squad.
Australia's head coach Justin Langer said Warner and Cummins are pivotal for the Test squad. "Pat and David are critical to our plans for the Test series," said coach Justin Langer. "David will work through his injury rehab and in Pat's case, it's important all of our players are managed well to keep them mentally and physically fit throughout what is a challenging summer."
Short has been training with the Australian squad since flying over from Perth to avoid confinement due to border closures. Interestingly, Short played his last T20I in February 2019, against India. He was expected to feature in the Big Bash League, having remained on stand-by for the summer. Earlier this year, he was termed a "potential finisher" before getting dropped for the England tour.
Cummins has been playing on the trot since resumption of cricket amid COVID-19 pandemic. He was a part of KKR in the IPL 2020. Notably, he remained wicket-less in the first ODI against India and picked up three wickets for 67 runs in the second.
In yet another development, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who suffered a side strain in the first ODI, will remain with the squad. Although the 31-year-old sat out in the second ODI, he could potentially play as a specialist batsman. Besides, another all-rounder Mitchell Marsh won't feature in the Australia A tour matches as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained in the Indian Premier League.
Hosts Australia defeated India by 51 runs in the second ODI to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead. Australia's top-five, Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Glenn Maxwell slammed 50+ scores and helped them post 389. In reply, India were restricted to 338 despite Virat Kohli's brilliant effort. Now, it remains to be seen if the visitors could finish on a positive note.
