Australia rest Starc, Stoinis, Marsh for T20I series in India

Australia have rested Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Marsh for their upcoming tour of India due to 'minor injuries.' David Warner had already been rested for the tour that will include three T20Is.

The trio of Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams, and Sean Abbott, have been added to the squad for the three-match T20I series, according to cricket.com.au. Both India and Australia will look to test their bench strength and experiment with various combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup. The ICC tournament is due to begin on Oct. 13 Down Under.

Australia are scheduled to begin their travel defense on Oct. 22 when they take on neighbours New Zealand at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). These two sides played the T20 World Cup final last year in Dubai and it was Aaron Finch and Co who emerged as winners as Australia claimed their maiden T20 World Cup trophy.

Starc has a knee issue, Marsh ankle injury, and Stoinis has a side strain. Even though the injuries are minor, the Australian cricket board has decided to rest the said three players, mainly because of the travel involved for the three T20Is in three different cities in six days in India. The three T20Is in India will be played in Mohali (Sept. 20), Nagpur (Sept. 23), and Hyderabad (Sept. 25).

All-rounders Stoinis and Marsh picked up the injuries during Australia's recent ODI series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, but Starc is the latest player to have joined the injury list. He was ruled out of the India tour after a scan on his knee on Wednesday in Sydney.

Following the India series, Australia are due to host West Indies and England in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, and Warner, Marsh, Stoinis, and Starc are all expected to be available for those matches.

With Stoinis out, it is understood that Tim David will certainly make his Australia debut in India as a middle-order finisher. If he does well, Stoinis could very well face a tough challenge to make his way back into the side.

Meanwhile, Marsh's absence could make way for all-rounder Cameron Green and also see Steve Smith return to No. 3 in the batting line-up. Josh Inglis is most likely to open with Aaron Finch, with Warner also unavailable for the India series.

Australia's squad for the 3-T20I series in India: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Zampa.