Perth, 14 October (H.S.): Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa and wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis have been ruled out of the first ODI against India in Perth. They have been replaced in the squad by Matthew Kuhnemann and Josh Philippe, respectively.
Zampa is unavailable for personal reasons, as his wife, Harriet, is in the final stages of pregnancy with an impending due date. Due to the difficulty of returning home from Perth, Zampa has opted to remain in New South Wales. He is expected to rejoin the squad for the second and third ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney and is likely to be available for the subsequent five-match T20I series.
Meanwhile, Inglis has not fully recovered from a calf injury he sustained before the tour of New Zealand, ruling him out of the series opener. Inglis will also miss the second ODI in Adelaide, but team management is hopeful he will be fit for the third match in Sydney on October 25.
Kuhnemann’s Comeback
Matthew Kuhnemann is set to make his return to the ODI squad after three years, having last played a one-day international in Sri Lanka in 2022. Although he toured with the Australian team throughout the winter, he featured in only one T20I. He has shown excellent form in recent domestic cricket, taking four wickets and playing a notable innings of 56 runs across three one-day matches.
Philippe to Take the Gloves
Josh Philippe will handle wicketkeeping duties in the Perth ODI, as Alex Carey will be in Adelaide for a Sheffield Shield match. Philippe, who last played an ODI during the 2021 tour of the West Indies, has been in impressive form in domestic cricket, and his selection is expected to strengthen the team.
Workload Management and Ashes Focus
Australian selectors are carefully managing player workloads across all three formats as they also prepare for the upcoming Ashes series. Cameron Green is slated to play the first two ODIs but may be rested for the third match to prepare for a Shield game, where he will gradually increase his bowling load.
Australia’s ODI Squad vs. India
Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
