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Injury forces Smith out of T20Is

Australia skipper out with a shoulder problem, to be replaced by Stoinis and expected fit for Ashes

Australian captain Steve Smith has been sent home from the Qantas Tour of India due to a shoulder problem.

Smith had an MRI scan on his sore right shoulder following training in Ranchi on Thursday and after he sat out most of Friday night's session, it's been confirmed that he will head back to Australia to rest.


Cricket Australia medical staff say they're confident Smith will be fit to play the start of the JLT Sheffield Shield season, but it's an untimely setback with the Magellan Ashes less than two months away.

Smith landed awkwardly on his right shoulder during the fifth ODI in Nagpur last week and he's experienced soreness that has been restricting his ability to bat and throw.

"He has had an MRI scan which has excluded serious injury, but we believe the best course of action is for him to not continue to aggravate his shoulder and allow it to recover," said Bupa Support Team Doctor Richard Saw.

"He will have further investigation upon his return to Australia but we remain confident he will be available for the start of the Sheffield Shield season."

Aussies all set for T20Is against India

Allrounder Marcus Stoinis will replace Smith in the T20 squad for the upcoming three-match series while David Warner will captain the side.

On Friday, Smith watched on as his teammates completed fielding drills at the JSCA Stadium before he headed to the nets for some throw downs with batting coach Graeme Hick.

After batting for around 20 minutes, a visibly frustrated Smith left the nets, gathered his bag and headed for the team rooms.

He later emerged and had a long discussion with team doctor Richard Saw and physio Alex Kountouris as well as selector Mark Waugh, coach David Saker and head of team performance Pat Howard.

The decision to send him home was made on Saturday morning local time.


Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia squad: David Warner (c), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel.


T20 Fixtures


October 7: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi

October 10: Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati

October 13: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad