IND vs AUS: Steve Smith to captain Australia for ODI series

India and Australia will now lock horns for a three-match ODI series, which is slated to start on Friday, March 17. This follows the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which the Men in Blues won by 2-1 as the last Test ended as a draw.

During the course of the 4-match Test series, Australia's primary captain Pat Cummins missed the last two Test. This was due to the 29-year-old decided to stay with his mother Maria, who was suffering from breast cancer.

However, Cummins will now miss the entire ODI series against India as the paceman's mother passed away last week. As a result, Steve Smith would continue to serve as captain throughout the series while Pat Cummins stays at home.

Australia are yet to lose a match under the captaincy of Smith this year. The Australian middle order Batsman led his side to an astonishing victory in the 3rd Test which the 4th one ended as a draw.

The Australian team appears to be all-rounder-heavy and features numerous returning players. Before to the ODI World Cup, the Kangaroos will attempt to field their strongest lineup possible, except the absent pacers. Together with David Warner's comeback from injury, Ashton Agar also rejoins the team.

In the same vein, Australian head coach Andrew McDonald spoke up to offer his opinion on the lineup that the visitors appeared to have finalised in advance of the ODI series.

"We've got a couple conversations around the balance of the team we want to play; we've gone in with a structure with eight batters to bat a little bit deeper; we've tried that. So there'll be a mix of combinations as we lead into the World Cup. A lot of all-rounders have been picked in the squad, and they can all play for one team. So we've got to answer a few of those questions,"

McDonald was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.

Australia ODI squad vs India:

David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa

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