Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis to miss India’s T20I tour amid fitness concerns
Cricket Australia has been forced to make three changes to their squad for the India tour as Mitchell Starc, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis are ruled out because of their respective injuries. With the T20 World Cup set to begin in just over a month, Australia didn’t want to take any risk with the following players.
It is reported that speedster Mitchell Starc will miss the tour following a knee injury. He will be replaced by Sean Abbott in the squad. Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh is yet to recover from his ankle injury and Stoinis on the other hand is suffering from a side strain. David Warner, one of the most dependable batters of the side will also miss the tour after the opener has been rested before the global festival.
Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams will be replacing the two injured players in the squad. However, the trio is expected to make their return to the squad before the T20I series against England and West Indies at home.
With the injuries, it is now more or less clear that Steve Smith will once again get a chance to bat at number three while in the absence of Marsh. Tim David is also likely to make his much-awaited Australia debut in the tour. Meanwhile, Josh Inglish is currently the frontrunner to open with skipper Aaron Finch.
Maxwell backs Aaron Finch ahead of the India tour
Meanwhile, skipper Aaron Finch has been struggling lately and his form is a matter of concern for the Australian team. It is because of his poor form and fitness struggles, the 35-year-old decided to call time on his ODI career. His future in T20I will also be decided after the T20 World Cup.
In this dire situation, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has assured the fans that Finch will soon regain his form and will do good against India. Maxwell, while talking to reporters at the launch of the First Nations World Cup kit, said how the 35-year-old loves to bat in India. He also expressed that even though Finch is out of form at the moment, he still is sharp as a captain.
“He’ll certainly enjoy having these games in India, he enjoys batting there. Once he gets out on the field and takes control of the team out there, he’s been able to focus on the job at hand well and that’s a credit to him. Obviously, it wasn’t the easiest time for him in one-day cricket but his attitude has never changed. He was brilliant with the strategy side of things. It’s a very underrated thing in T20. Don’t discount his value as captain,” said Maxwell.
Australia squad for India T20Is: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
