David Warner, Pat Cummins Out Of Limited-Overs Series Against India, Replacement Named

David Warner and Pat Cummins will miss the rest of Australia’s white-ball matches against India, Cricket Australia announced on Monday. Left-handed batman D’Arcy Short has been added to the squad ahead of the third and final ODI of the three-match series.

David Warner has been sidelined after suffering a groin injury during the second ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. The opening batsman limped off in the fourth over of the second innings having tumbled in the field to save a single from the bat of India opener Shikhar Dhawan.

David Warner grimaced and clutched his groin before eventually deciding to walk off. He has returned home to begin his rehab in the hope to be fit for the much-anticipated Test series, stating from December 17.

On the other hand, there are no injury concerns for Cummins and the pacer has been rested. Cummins has been playing non-stop cricket since September when Australia toured England before he went to the UAE for the Indian Premier League and recently played the first two ODIs of the ongoing series.

While Short has been named as David Warner’s replacement, Cummins’ spot will not be filled in Australia’s squad. Short has been training with the Australian squad since flying over from Perth to avoid potential border closures ahead of his BBL commitments with the Hobart Hurricanes.

Speaking about the David Warner and Cummins, Australia head coach Justin Langer pointed out the duo’s importance for the Test series.

“Pat and Davie are critical to our plans for the Test series,” said coach Justin Langer.

“Davie will work through his injury rehab and in Pat’s case it is important all of our players are managed well to keep them mentally and physically fit throughout what is a challenging summer.

“The priority for both is being fully prepared for one of the biggest and most important home Test series we have played in recent years, especially with World Test Championship points up for grabs,” he added.

Meanwhile, the hosts have already sealed the ODI series with a match remaining. After winning the series-opener by 66 runs, the Aaron Finch-led side defeated the Men in Blue by 51 runs in the second game.

Australia’s ODI and T20I squad:

Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, D’Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa