Follow UsAxar Patel is yet to recover from his left quadriceps strain and has been ruled out of the third and final One-Day International against Australia, Cricbuzz reported on Monday (September 25). The spin-bowling all-rounder, however, is expected to be fit for the forthcoming World Cup.
Axar suffered the injury during the Asia Cup, bringing R Ashwin back into contention for the showpiece event. The senior offspinner, who had played only two ODIs since July 2017, took 1/47 in Mohali and followed it up with 3/41 in the second ODI on Sunday.
India already have Ravindra Jadeja in the set-up and there have been talks about including an off-spinner into the mix. Washington Sundar is also part of the India squad for the Australia series but the team management seems to have preferred experience over youth.
It’s also being reported that Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur have been rested for the final ODI, which will be played in Rajkot on Wednesday. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have linked up with the team, while Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami are not with the squad yet. There's no news on Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the second ODI.
Meanwhile, the Asian Games squad is also scheduled to leave on September 27, the same day the third ODI will be played. And, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar and Tilak Varma are also part of that squad. However, India's first game in Hangzhou is on October 3, so these players could be asked to stay for the third ODI.
India have won the first two ODIs and are leading 2-0 in the three-match series.