The selectors of Australia have removed David Warner from the Twenty20 series versus India, allowing Steve Smith to test as an opener for the upcoming World Cup in this format.

Warner was officially declared out on Tuesday, allowing him to return home and relax before his last Test series against Pakistan.

The opener’s departure is another setback for what could be considered one of the most neglected Australian series in recent history. This five-game series serves as a reminder of the crowded schedule in the world of cricket.

The first match will take place in Visakhapatnam, only four days after India’s defeat to Australia in the 50-over World Cup final.

The hosts announced their team for the upcoming series on Tuesday, with Suryakumar Yadav being the only player from the deciding match who will be available for the first three games.

In addition, games will take place in Thiruvananthapuram, Barsapara, Nagpur, and Hyderabad, with Australia never having competed in the first two cities before.

Australia will have competed in a total of 26 games in India by the end of the series in 2023. This includes four Tests and three ODIs earlier in the year, followed by another bilateral series in September and then the ODI World Cup.

Aaron Hardie, a young allrounder, has taken Warner’s place in the squad. This provides an opportunity for both Hardie and Tanveer Sangha to showcase their skills to potential IPL teams.

The sport of cricket is currently rescheduling matches that were postponed due to contractual obligations during the Covid pandemic. This is due to a number of other cricket series taking place, which did not allow for these matches to be played earlier in the year.

The series marks the start of preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA. However, India’s team only consists of three players who participated in last year’s 20-over tournament.

Australia may not have their top fast bowlers and Mitch Marsh, but they have the opportunity to start preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Smith has expressed his interest in being the first batter, and now that Warner is gone, he may have the opportunity to bat alongside Travis Head.

The previous leader was originally expected to start in games against South Africa in September, but was unable to participate due to a wrist injury.

Despite being overlooked for much of Australia’s T20 World Cup in 2020, Smith impressed with two centuries while opening for the Sydney Sixers during the Big Bash League last season.

He is now up against Head, Marsh, and Warner in the race for the top of the batting lineup in next year’s World Cup. This is a new challenge for him as he has never opened before in T20 international matches.

At the beginning of the season, Smith expressed a desire to participate in T20 cricket.

“I had a great opportunity to demonstrate my skills in the Big Bash. I hope to also showcase them on an international level.”

The Australian team includes Matthew Wade as captain, along with Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa.

The team representing India includes Suryakumar Yadav as captain, along with players Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, and Shreyas Iyer for the last two matches.

Source: theguardian.com