Ahead of the ongoing third One-day International of India vs Australia 2019 series at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) in Ranchi, the visitors were forced to introduce paceman Jhye Richardson as bowling all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile has returned to Australia for the birth of his second child.
Meanwhile, Coulter-Nile will touchdown in Perth to be with his family and his wife, Shani Blay.
However, Coulter-Nile will return to Asia by being the part of Australia’s squad for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan. Aussies last-gasp for the quadrennial showpiece will kick off on March 22 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
For the do-or-die clash, Australia is expecting a lot from their players in the Ranchi ODI. Well, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Team India skipper Virat Kohli has taken the dew factor into consideration.
Earlier, Coulter-Nile planned to fly home following the Ranchi ODI. But an urgent message from home has made him change his plans.
In the two-match Twenty20 International win, Coulter-Nile has played a significant role by winning the Man of the Match award for Vizag T20I. He bagged three wickets for 26 runs before finishing the T20 series with a wicket in Bengaluru.
The 31-year-old Coulter-Nile then went on to play first two ODIs of the ongoing five-match series. He bagged three wickets while scoring 28 in Hyderabad.
The limited-overs cricketer Coulter-Nile since his international debut on February 13, 2013, featured in 28 T20Is and 24 ODIs respectively. Across formats, he bagged 75 wickets with a four-wicket haul each in two different formats of the limited-overs fold.
During the ongoing Qantas Tour, Australia looked decent with the ball. But the batting has remained the main issue with the 2019 World Cup 2019 70-odd days away.
With things getting difficult for Australia to win the silverware, the visitors last beat India consecutively thrice in a row when Ricky Ponting led Australia in 2003 during the triangular series which included Aussies rivals New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Australia had a good start in the must-win encounter as their openers put up 39 runs in eight overs. On the other side, Team India players donned camouflaged caps to pay tribute to the victims of Pulwama suicide car bomb attack.
With India leading the series 2-0, Australia lost the first ODI by six wickets before losing out on the second game by eight runs in Nagpur on March 5.
