David Warner Declines to Join T20I Series Against India After World Cup Triumph

David Warner has been given a break from the upcoming T20I series against India after an outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup, where he scored 535 runs at 48.63. Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his debut in South Africa earlier this year, has been called up to replace him in the squad. Kane Richardson has also joined the group of multiformat players who will skip the five-match series ahead of the home summer, starting with the first Test against Pakistan.

The series, which begins just four days after the ODI World Cup final, is part of the build-up to next year’s T20 edition in West Indies and the USA. Australia currently have six more T20Is scheduled before that tournament. The squad now includes seven players who featured during the World Cup, plus Tanveer Sangha who was a travelling reserve throughout.

The series will be led by Matthew Wade, with a stand-in coach, Andre Borovec, taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer. The team includes Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa.

Hardie’s inclusion in the squad marks his first international call-up for Australia since making his debut for Western Australia in 2017. He was named as a traveling reserve for both Test and ODI series against India earlier this year but did not get any game time during those matches. This call-up gives him an opportunity to prove himself at international level and earn a regular place in the team for future tours.