India Vs Australia | Muscle injury rules out Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson named replacement

India Vs Australia | Muscle injury rules out Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson named replacement

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Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the upcoming Australia tour of India due to sustaining a pectoral muscle injury during the final day of the Test match in Canberra. He has been replaced by Kane Richardson who had a prolific BBL as he was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the one-day international series in India after sustaining a pectoral muscle injury during the second Test win over Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Kane Richardson will replace him in the 15-man squad for the tour which starts with two Twenty20 matches followed by five ODIs starting from this month and is being used a warmup for their World Cup title defence in England.

Australia's national coach Trevor Hohns said, ”Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the Test match in Canberra.”

"This means he will be unavailable for the tour of India, but we will instead target a return to play for the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March."

South Australia's fast bowler Kane Richardson, who shone for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash T20 league, is recalled for his first international series since a depleted Australian team were whitewashed 5-0 away in England last year.

"Kane not only has experience playing ODI cricket for Australia, but he’s also performed well for his country when given the opportunity,” said Hohns.

Selectors have included Western Australia's batting all-rounder Ashton Turner after his impressive display for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League where he scored 378 runs at 34.36 with a strike rate over 130.

"Ashton has been on our radar for some time, given his performances in the shorter formats," Hohns said. "Ashton is a smart cricketer who reads the game well and provides us with another strong batting option. He's been in good form over the summer, and he has an opportunity to put his case forward ahead of the World Cup."

Meanwhile, there is no place in the squad for all-rounder Mitchell Marsh or Peter Siddle, seamer Nathan Coulter-Nile has been recalled after missing out in the recent 2-1 home series defeat against India.

“Nathan Coulter-Nile provides us with another quality bowling option, he brings good energy in the field and can also score runs in high-pressure situations," Hohns added.

Western Australia opening batsman D'Arcy Short has been included in the squad as cover for Shaun Marsh who is recovering from a hamstring strain and is not expected to be available until the third ODI in Ranchi on March 8.

There were speculations about Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon, who were recalled for the home India series, missing the tour to allow them a chance to play Sheffield Shield with the Dukes ball ahead of the Ashes but both are included which shows they are in a bid to the World Cup. 

Australia head to India hoping to reverse a dreadful run of form with the World Champions having lost their last six ODI series since beating Pakistan at home in January 2017.

After India, they will play Pakistan in an away ODI series before heading to England ahead of their World Cup opener against Afghanistan on June 1.

Squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, D'Arcy Short (as cover for Shaun Marsh)

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