Axar Patel ruled out of playing in Rajkot ODI; Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur given rest; report

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) Axar Patel, who is recovering from a left quadriceps strain sustained in the Asia Cup, has been ruled out of playing in the third and final ODI of the series against Australia in Rajkot happening on September 27.

A report in Cricbuzz said Azar hasn't sufficiently recovered to be included in the squad for the third ODI and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Axar yet to join the Indian team means it raises hopes for Ravichandran Ashwin’s late inclusion in the World Cup squad.

Ashwin made a comeback to ODIs after a year and a half of absence in Mohali. The ace off-spinner has shown good form in the series till now, picking four wickets from two matches at an economy rate of 5.18, including taking three wickets by troubling Australian batters in Indore.

But the report added that indications are there of Axar being ready to play from the World Cup warm-up games. “This could put Ajit Agarkar & Co in a serious dilemma. At this stage, however, Ashwin's chances appear promising, and the selectors have not announced a replacement for Axar for the upcoming game,” it added.

The report added that Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur have been rested from the Rajkot ODI. “Consequently, neither of them will be making the journey from Indore to Rajkot, India and Australia sides will fly out of Indore for Rajkot on Tuesday afternoon,” it added.

India, who already have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series, will be boosted by the return of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya for the third ODI in Rajkot.

It will be the final international match for both teams before meeting each other again in their respective Men’s ODI World Cup opening match on October 8 in Chennai.

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