Steven Smith to lead Australia in ODIs against India

Australia have announced that Steven Smith with lead the side in the upcoming three-match ODI series against India as Pat Cummins continues to stay in Syndey following the death of his mother last week.

Australia have not announced any replacement for Cummins in the squad and will have the services of 15 players to finalise their playing XI ahead of the first clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

"Pat won’t be coming back, he’s still taking care of what’s happened back home. Our thoughts are with Pat and his family as they go through that grieving process." head coach Andrew McDonald said.

The visiting side have named their fourth captain in the last five ODIs, with Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood along with Smith filling in the captaincy responsibilities. 

The 33-year-old has been at the helm of affairs for the national side in 51 ODIs prior to this series. 

The side will be bolstered by the return of David Warner after successfully recovering from an elbow injury, and Ashton Agar, who left the tour after the second Test to play some competitive cricket back in Australia. The duo will rejoin the squad ahead of the first ODI in Mumbai. 

Jhye Richardson, who was initially part of the squad, suffered a hamstring injury, and Nathan Ellis replaced him. The Aussie outfit is full of all-around options, and coach Andrew McDonald believes the team will use these games to fine-tune their combinations ahead of the World Cup. 

"We've got a couple of conversations around the balance of the team we want to play. We've gone in with a structure with eight batters to bat a little bit deeper, we've tried that," said McDonald. 

"So there'll be a mix of combinations as we lead into the World Cup. A lot of all-rounders have been picked in the squad, and they can all play in one team. So we've got to answer a few of those questions."

Australia ODI squad:

David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (Captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa