Australia will face a weakened Indian side in the bulk of their 50-over World Cup warm-up series after the hosts opted to rest four key players from the first two matches.
They include captain Rohit Sharma so KL Rahul will lead India in those fixtures.
Also omitted are Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav.
India have already played six ODIs this September while winning the Asia Cup.
The squad for the third and final match is the one that will represent India in the World Cup on home soil – with the addition of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar, who will be available for all three warm-ups.
Virat Kohli. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Ashwin, India’s preferred spinner in Test cricket, played the last of his 113 one-day internationals in January 2022 and was left out of the provisional squad announced earlier this month.
Axar Patel, who missed the Asia Cup final due to a quadriceps strain, has been named in the squad for the final ODI, but his participation is subject to fitness.
The three ODIs will be played between September 22-27 in Mohali, Indore and Rajkot. The World Cup begins on October 5 with Australia playing the hosts three days later in Chennai.
SQUAD FOR FIRST TWO ODIS: KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan , Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
SQUAD FOR THIRD ODI: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
jammel
Roar Rookie
Thanks - good insights Arnab
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
You're right, India is copying us, but then again they can afford to. The Indian guys are all match fit and in pretty good form. Right now, we have no idea about form or fitness for Smith, Starc, Cummins and your favourite, Maxwell. India's squad is done and dusted and we're still guessing if guys are fit enough to play, 3 weeks before our first game?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Yeah...same as Oz. Mind you, playing cricket instead of a real job is hardly hard work.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
India have just come off a successful Asia Cup having won the final with ease. With the amount of cricket their bowlers have played bar Bumrah since June, a few rests here and there was gonna happen with the WC going on for so long.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
List of venues for Australia games (in order by game) 1. Chennai – slow turner. Need 30 overs of spin to win there imo 2 and 3. Lucknow – Big ground but usually sluggish pitch there. Bat first, score 260+ and a win should be guaranteed 4. Bengaluru – usually a good batting wicket but it has become a turner in recent times. I’d expect it to be a flat one. Score 330+ and win there. 5. Delhi – usually slow. 270 enough to win there imo 6. Dharamsala – brilliant wicket for the seamers. Would say it’s similar to Hobart. Small boundaries and runs galore. 7. Ahmedabad – true bounce and usually flat. Boundary dimensions similar to MCG. Dew could come into play in the second innings 8. Mumbai – flat wicket. Bat first and bat big 9. Pune – Small ground. Does nip a bit in day games during the first innings. Better to chase there as batting conditions after 12pm gets far easier. Should Australia play their semi in Kolkata (provided they qualify), it’s gonna be the quickest pitch in India. No need to play a spinner there at all with the seamers Australia have. Cummins, Hazelwood, Starc, Abbott, Green and Marsh will have a field day bowling there.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I can't agree there, Gordon. The Aussies are playing with about their third best 11 in SA and leaving a few out for the India games too. No shortage of depth in Ozland. The Indians are just playing copycat.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Thanks Arnab. I'm not at all familiar with those grounds. How do they compare with the venues Australia will us in the World Cup? If they're similar, that could be good preparation but if they're vastly different?
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Mohali is very similar to the Gabba. New ball will swing and seam during the powerplay. Long square boundaries and very short straight. Indore was a turner for the third Test between the two sides earlier this year, but I expect a flat deck as it is during white ball games there. Rajkot is a weird one. Sometimes it spins. Sometimes it's seaming a lot. Sometimes its completely flat. Got no idea what will happen in the Rajkot ODI.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
It shows the depth of Indian white ball cricket when the replacements for these guys are quality players who would probably walk into most other teams first XI. It also shows they've got a plan in place resting these 4, though I'm surprised they didn't rest at least one of the quicks, Bumrah. Australia on the other hand, are scrambling - again. I also hope the pitches are similar to what will be used in the World Cup. Not sure what will be gained, playing on complete roads if the WC tracks have more movement or vice versa