The IND vs AUS match is set to take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8, Sunday. While both teams are preparing to kick-start their respective World Cup 2023 campaigns with this high-octane clash, both are also dealing with the unavailability of one of their key players each.
For India, Shubman Gill has already been ruled out from the IND vs AUS game due to dengue, while for Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis’ fitness is under a massive cloud.
The 34-year-old Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is “tough and go” for the IND vs AUS match due to a hamstring niggle he had picked up when playing against India in Mohali a couple of weeks ago.
IND vs AUS: Marcus Stoinis didn’t play in both warm-up matches
Stoinis remains doubtful for Australia’s opening game in the WC 2023 against India this Sunday as he is still recovering from the hamstring niggle he suffered in Mohali last month.
“He’s got a slight hamstring complaint at this stage, so that’s why he missed the practice games and he’ll be touch and go for the first game against India,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said on Thursday.
“We’ve got the main session today and then another hit out tomorrow, so he’ll go through his work there and we’ll see whether he’s available for selection for game one but at the moment he wasn’t fit and available for those practice games.”
Cameron Green is already touted to play in the first XI and could be required to fill in Stoinis’ bowling shoes in particular.
Australia are already carrying an injured player in Travis Head. Head had suffered a fracture in his left hand when playing in South Africa last month. But he was picked in the squad for the World Cup and is expected to be fit for the second half of the tournament.
“The World Cup is a long campaign, there’s no doubt going to be some sore bodies at certain times. We feel as though with [our] squad that we’ve got great flexibility, albeit at the moment obviously Travis Head sitting and where he’s at, that’ll give us greater scope to shift and manoeuvre the side the way that we have over the last 18 months,” the Aussie coach added.
