MOHALI: Australian captain Pat Cummins said on Thursday he had fully recovered from a wrist injury and hoped to play all three One-day Internationals against hosts India starting Friday.

While Cummins returns, Australia still won’t have the services of pacer Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the first match in the northern Indian city of Mohali.

“I am feeling pretty good, pretty much 100 per cent, and hope to play tomorrow and play all the games,” Cummins told journalists.

But the Australian pace spearhead said Starc, who is recovering from a groin injury, and Maxwell, from an ankle injury, won’t play “but will be available later in the series”.

Most of Australia’s top players are also key members of different franchises in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, and Cummins said they “have pretty good information” about the local conditions.

He said they hoped to try different team combinations and players against India to prepare for the all-important World Cup in India next month. “Hopefully we will get a few answers in the next few games,” Cummins said.

Australia, along with India and England, are seen as three top contenders going into the ODI World Cup.

India have rested captain Rohit Sharma and batting superstar Virat Kohli for the first two ODIs and also hope to try different players before the tournament.

India will be led by KL Rahul in the absence of Sharma, who returns with other key players for the final match of the series.

Published in Dawn, September 22th, 2023