Former Australia skipper David Warner has been ruled out of the final ODI and the three T20Is against India after he developed a groin injury during the second ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In the first two ODIs, the Southpaw looked in fine form as he got scores of 69 and 83 respectively.
Apart from Warner, limited-overs vice-captain, Pat Cummins, has been rested for from the remaining white-ball fixtures against the Men in Blue. The pacer picked up three wickets in the second ODI after going wicketless in the first. was also below-par for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League.
“Pat (Cummins) and Davie (Warner) are critical to our plans for the Test Series. Davie will work through his injury rehab and in Pat’s case it is important all of our players are managed well to keep them mentally and physically fit throughout what is a challenging summer,” Langer told Cricbuzz.
“The priority for both is being fully prepared for one of the biggest and most important homes Test Series we have played in recent years, especially, with World Test Championship points up for grabs,” he added.
The Test series gets underway on December 17 with the Day-Night Test in Adelaide. Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis remains with the squad despite picking up an injury in the first ODI. In the second ODI, Stoinis was replaced by all-rounder Moises Henriques, who took a match-winning catch to dismiss Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Moreover, Mitchell Marsh won’t be joining Australia A squad and will be undergoing rehabilitation after he sustained an ankle injury in the 2020 edition of the IPL. After taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, Australia would be going for a white-wash when the last game takes place on Wednesday, December 2 in Canberra.