New Delhi: Two days after winning the ODI World Cup 2023, Australia’s David Warner pulled out of the five-match T20I series against India, which starts on November 23 in Visakhapatnam. All-rounder Aaron Hardie replaced Warner in the Australian side. “Selectors decided Warner would return home on the back of a successful yet demanding World Cup campaign,” Cricket Australia said in a statement on Tuesday.
Warner, who was struggling with form at the start of the year, delivered big as the Australian opener finished as the team’s highest run-getter with 535 runs in the tournament, including two centuries. Warner’s withdrawal means Australia will have seven of their world champions stay against India.
The veteran batter had earlier stated that he won’t be taking a Cricket Australia contract for the 2024-25 season. However, he will be available for the 2024 T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy the following year in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, with no Pat Cummins, Australia will be led by Matthew Wade against Australia. Suryakumar Yadav has been named as India captain for the series.
Squads
Australia: Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (last two matches only)