David Warner withdraws from T20I series against India; Aaron Hardie called up for series opener

By Ovaise Shariff | First Published Nov 21, 2023, 2:44 PM IST

Following his stellar performance in the ODI World Cup, David Warner will be absent from the T20I series against India, aligning with the decision of several multiformat players ahead of the home summer.

David Warner will be absent from the T20I series against India following his outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup. This decision aligns with a trend among multiformat players who will be skipping the five-match series in preparation for the upcoming home summer, commencing with the first Test against Pakistan on December 14.

🚨 Matthew Wade will lead the team for five-T20 series against India ! | pic.twitter.com/fTpzIzGiiY

— Haroon 🏏🌠 (@Haroon_HMM)

Joining Warner in opting out are prominent players such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Cameron Green, and Mitchell Marsh. Warner's exceptional World Cup run, where he scored 535 runs at an average of 48.63, sets the stage for the final chapter of his Test career, with his retirement planned for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

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Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his debut earlier this year in South Africa, has been included in the T20I squad. Kane Richardson has also been called up as a replacement for Spencer Johnson, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Despite the swift turnaround, starting just four days after the ODI World Cup final, the T20I series serves as a crucial buildup to next year's T20 edition in the West Indies and the USA. Australia has six more T20Is scheduled before that tournament, including three-match series against West Indies and New Zealand in February.

The squad, which now includes seven players from the World Cup, along with Tanveer Sangha, a travelling reserve, will be led by Matthew Wade. Mitchell Marsh, who led the team to a 3-0 victory against South Africa in September, is the frontrunner for the captaincy on a permanent basis.

With stand-in coach Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer, the series kicks off in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Australia's T20I Squad: Matthew Wade (capt), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in T20Is against Australia; Shreyas Iyer returns for final two matches

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