'If I wasn't going to be in the frame for 2027 then I didn't want to hold up the spot. I still feel like I've got plenty to offer that ODI team.'
Australia openers Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney were on Thursday named in the 'A' squad bound to India to play two four-day matches in Lucknow in September, with an eye on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2026-27.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
He also admitted to learning a lot from 'one of the best players in the world', his teammate Steve Smith.
'If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine.'
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
'I feel like as long as I prepare as well as possible, I tick all the boxes ... and then just let my reactions do the talking. Just try and keep it simple, see ball hit ball.'
Family and friends paid tribute to the late Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes on Wednesday to mark the 10-year anniversary of his tragic death.
'The prospect of Konstas facing Jofra Archer with the first ball of the Ashes on November 21 -- potentially delivered at 155km/h -- doesn't feel like a fair fight.'
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
Despite the heavy defeat, Australia are unlikely to make wholesale changes to their playing eleven and have retained the same squad for the Adelaide fixture.
Hazlewood was initially named in the squad for South Africa, will also return home following the Test series. Xavier Bartlett has been drafted in as his replacement.
After many episodes of concussion, Will Pucovski's career comes to premature end at 26. He was once seen as the future of Australian batting.
Cameron Green's injury could open up the door for Cameron Bancroft's Test recall in the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India next month.
Key players, such as pacer Mitchell Starc, are hitting form at the right time, while star batter Steve Smith is facing early setbacks in his preparations.
Usman Khawaja told a press conference on Friday that he had been managing a hamstring strain and had logged the injury in an app used by Australia's professional cricketers.
Gillespie said that he feels that either one of Labuschagne or Usman Khawaja, the 38-year-old who failed to touch double-digits in both WTC final innings, will miss out on West Indies tour, which comprises three Tests, starting June 25.
Beau Webster is just the second player in the Sheffield Shield competition's 132-year history to score more than 900 runs and take 30 wickets in a season. The legendary Gary Sobers was the first to achieve the feat.
The Dukes were introduced to the Sheffield Shield in 2016/17 to help prepare Australia's batsmen for the ball used on English pitches in the leadup to the 2019 Ashes.
'I thought helmets would help. So, I took a motorcycle helmet with a polycarbonate visor to WSC.'
Selectors have recalled pace stalwart Hazlewood for the second ODI after he missed the MCG match to play Sheffield Shield cricket.
Konstas, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft among others are looking to get into the Australian XI as Khawaja's opening partner in the series against India.
The Australian wicketkeeper-batter will be playing in the Sheffield Shield final for Tasmania from March 21 to 25.
Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade on Friday said he will retire from first-class cricket after the upcoming Sheffield Shield final, but will remain available for selection in white-ball formats.
Australia opener Nathan McSweeney is gearing up for a challenging debut against India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Will Pucovski was once seen as the future of Australian cricket as he made a half-century on his Test debut against India in 2021.
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green will miss the home Test series against India in a blow for the hosts after opting for surgery on a stress fracture in his lumbar spine.
CA said it had produced a documentary in conjunction with Hughes's family to mark the occasion, which will be broadcast before play at Adelaide Oval.
With Green out with injury, Bancroft's chances have brightened.
Cricket Australia has confirmed it will use Dukes balls, which are used in England, instead of the locally produced Kookaburra brand for the second half of the domestic Sheffield Shield in a bid to better prepare for the away Ashes series next year. The balls behave differently through the air and off the pitch, with Australia's inability to play the moving ball seen as one of the reasons why they have failed to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.
Mitch Owen blasted the Big Bash League's equal-fastest hundred on Monday to deliver Hobart Hurricanes their first T20 title
Konstas heads home but not out of Test team's plans
'Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position.'
Australia captain Pat Cummins is all but ruled out of the Champions Trophy while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt for the tournament.
'It's the game of cricket. You're going to miss out, you're going to drop a catch -- you've got to get on with what's in front of you.'
Selectors will likely opt for another batter to cover for all-rounder Green in the India series and possibly an opener if Steve Smith is restored to the number four spot.
Nathan McSweeney, who opened in the first three Tests with little success, has been dropped.
He reserved his best for the longest format in which he amassed 28 hundreds including a memorable 329 against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Former Australia opener David Warner on Tuesday said he is willing to come out of retirement and play against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, if the home team needs him in the opening slot.
Former Australia Test skipper Tim Paine labelled the SCG pitch as an "absolute disgrace" which was produced for the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania.
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