Captain of the Australian cricket team, Pat Cummins, says, “Australia can't afford to 'already be cooked' before starting the World Cup.”
Both Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell won't feature in the ODI series opener against India in Mohali, which acts as the final lead-in to the World Cup, but captain Pat Cummins was hopeful they would feature later in the three-match series.
They are part of a group of senior players that Cummins included who are returning from injuries that kept them out of the South Africa series. Starc has been recovering from a groin injury sustained in the Ashes, while Maxwell, who was already due to have paternity leave, left South Africa early with ankle soreness and will only join the squad on Friday.
Cummins, who himself has recovered from a wrist injury, hopes to play all three matches, while Steven Smith will also return after dealing with a wrist problem after the Ashes.
Cummins said, "We want to strike the balance between getting used to these conditions and hopefully winning some games, but we also don't want to get to that first game of the World Cup and already be cooked.”
He also said, "No doubt we'll be trying a few different combinations; a few different players will get a chance, but ideally we'd like to structure up pretty closely to how we'll play in the World Cup.”