Australia has announced their T20I squad for the upcoming series against India, with Western Australia all-rounder Aaron Hardy and Kane Richardson being called up as replacements. The squad will be led by Matthew Wade, who will make his debut as captain in this format.
The series serves as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 edition in the West Indies and the USA, with Australia currently having six more T20Is on their schedule before that tournament. The squad includes seven players who featured during the World Cup, plus Tanveer Sangha who has been a traveling reserve throughout.
David Warner has been given a break after the ODI World Cup and joins a group of multi-format players who will skip the five-match series ahead of the domestic summer which begins with the first Test against Pakistan on December 14. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have also gone home along with all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.
Warner had an outstanding World Cup where he scored 535 runs at 48.63. The upcoming Pakistan series will be the final phase of his Test career, and he earmarked the SCG for his retirement from the format in early January. Western Australia all-rounder Aaron Hardy, who made his debut in South Africa earlier this year, has been added to the T20I squad. Kane Richardson has also been called up as a replacement for Spencer Johnson who has a hamstring injury.