Australia begin mind games, Ashton Agar says Shikhar Dhawan's absence will be an advantage

New Delhi: Shikhar Dhawan has requested to be released from India's squad for the first three of five ODIs against Australia to attend to his unwell wife, the BCCI announced on Thursday.

The left-hander has been in prime form since the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy. 

He amassed the most runs in the Test series in Sri Lanka with 358 in four innings at 89.50, earning him the award for the Man of the Series, before backing it up with a 132 in the opening ODI of the five-match series.

Australia started their mind games 48 hours ahead of the 1st ODI by claiming to have an advantage after Dhawan pulled out of the first three matches.

"Shikhar is in good form, so him not playing is a positive for us," Australian spinning all-rounder Ashton Agar said at a press conference in Chennai on Friday.

It also means India have Axar Patel as the only recognised left-hand batsman, making Australia's bowling strategy a bit easier.

"Yes, it (left-right combination) can make things hard. In that case, ball swings in a particular direction, making things difficult for the fielding team. So now, (with Shikhar’s absence) it is a bit advantage for us. We have to go there for the best and see what combination they set," Agar said.

The MA Chidambaram pitch at the warm-up game earlier this week assisted the spinners but it still remains to be seen if Australia will field two spinners in the first ODI. Agar himself was uncertain.

"It all depends on the wicket. Adam (Zampa) obviously is the frontline spinner in the squad and he has bowled really in these conditions in the IPL and previous tours. It’s obvious that he will start."

Agar said, adding: "If the wicket remains (good), I think there might be a chance (for me)."

Ashton Agar said wrist spinners like Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal could have an impact on this series because they don’t have to depend on the pitch to extract spin.

"They are really valuable assets. They can spin the ball both ways. When it’s a night time, it’s hard to pick the wrong one as well. They are genuinely good bowlers and are wicket-taking options for the side. They can be hard to get away," he said.