Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said pacer Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were not fit for the team’s opening game in the ODI tri-series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Dhoni said the tri-nation series against Australia and England will be a preparation ground for India’s World Cup title defence.
“In this series the most important thing for us will be to get the combination right for the World Cup,” Dhoni said ahead of their first match of the tri-series.
“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.”
