Ishant and Jadeja ruled out of Australia ODI at MCG

Melbourne, Jan 17: Paceman Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will not be playing India's tri-series opener tomorrow at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against Australia due to niggles, captain MS Dhoni has confirmed.

Tri-series Schedule

Speaking on the eve of the match, Dhoni said he did not want to risk both the players when they were not fit 100 per cent. "In this series the most important thing for us will be to get the combination right for the World Cup," Dhoni said on Saturday.

"At the same time we will ensure that we don't push the players who have minor niggles so they don't end up being major injuries. We will give them the extra time because we want every player to be at least 80 to 90 per cent fit going into a game.

"There are quite a few players with a bit of niggle here and there and we are monitoring their progress. In tomorrow's game, Ishant and Jadeja are not available for selection because we are managing their workload," he added.

There were question marks over Jadeja before World Cup selection due to shoulder injury but was cleared to be picked in the 15-man squad. He underwent rehab programme in Chennai after returning from Australia midway through the Test series.

India begin preparations for the ICC World Cup 2015 with the tri-nation tournament which also involves England. In the tournament opener on Friday (January 16), Australia defeated England by 3 wickets to claim the bonus point.

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