Star Australian players could be rested for the ODI series against India
Following the ongoing four-match Test series between India and Australia, both the teams will be taking on each other in a three-match ODI series that gets underway at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney from January 12.
The visitors have already announced their squad as they are set to welcome the likes of MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dinesh Karthik, Khaleel Ahmed etc. who will be joining the team Down Under.
On the other hand, the Australians are yet to announce the squad and it is expected to be announced after the Test series concludes. However, it is certain that the Australian pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins might not feature in the series as coach Justin Langer insisted that Australia need to keep their players fit and fresh and are likely to be rested for the ODI series keeping the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in mind.
“It’s the great conundrum for us, really, how we manage our bowlers. For example, we might not play them in the next three one-dayers so they’re ready for the next two (Tests) to keep them fresh," Langer was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Australia coach continued, saying: "He (Cummins) has been brilliant, he’s been outstanding but then – as soon as we do that they want to play and also then everyone else would be on our back saying: ‘Why aren’t they playing every single game?’ But if you play every game – we’ve also got a World Cup and Ashes next year – we want him fresh for those things.”
If the pace trio is not included in the side, the Aussies might call up Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye, who did well in the ODI series against South Africa, along with Billy Stanlake, who has done well in the past for the Aussies.
After the series opener at the SCG on January 12, both the teams will be playing the second and third match of the series in Adelaide and Melbourne on January 15 and January 18 respectively.