Australian cricket team practices at CCI

Mumbai: The Australian cricket team on Sunday sweated it out at the Cricket Club of India in their first training session ahead of the seven-match ODI series against India that will be preceded by the lone Twenty20 game at Rajkot on October 10.

The ODI rubber commences on October 13 in Pune and concludes in Bangalore on November 2. The team, which arrived last night, had a light training session and played football in their one-hour outing here. The visiting team would have another two-day practice session at the Cricket Club of India before leaving for Rajkot for the opening T20 game and they are expected to have proper net session’s tomorrow morning. Five Australian squad members -- Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell -- are representing their IPL teams in the Champions League Twenty20 finals on Sunday. The team from Down Under is without regular skipper Michael Clarke and T20 captain George Bailey will lead the side in the former`s absence. Clarke was ruled out of the tour due to a nagging back injury. Australian T20 squad: George Bailey (Captain), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Johnson, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Shane Watson. Australian ODI squad: George Bailey (Captain), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Moises Henriques, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Shane Watson. ODI series schedule: Oct 13 (Pune), Oct 16 (Jaipur), Oct 19 (Mohali), Oct 23 (Ranchi), Oct 26 (Cuttack), Oct 30 (Nagpur), November 2 (Bangalore). PTI