IND v AUS 2023: Australia make wholesale changes to squad for remaining three T20Is against India

Travis Head is the only player from Australia's World Cup winning campaign to feature in the T20I series.

Australia have made as many as six changes to their squad for the remainder of the three matches of the five-T20I series against India.

According to a report published in cricket.com.au, World Cup winners Steve Smith and Adam Zampa are understood to have flown home ahead of the third T20I in Guwahati on Tuesday (November 28) while Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott will depart tomorrow.

Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Phillippe and big-hitter Ben McDermott, who have already joined the squad, are available for selection in the third T20I. Ben Dwarshuis and Chris Green will reportedly join the squad ahead of the penultimate match in Raipur.

The wholesale changes mean Travis Head is the only player from Australia's World Cup winning campaign to feature in the T20I series, along with Tanveer Sangha who travelled with the squad as a reserve.

Head, who slammed a century in the World Cup final against India and earned the Player-of-the-Match award, is to play a match in the ongoing T20I series.

Steve Smith opened the batting for Australia in the first two games and Travis Head might take up the opening slot for the remainder of the series.

"One of the things we had in our planning coming into this series was to have a look at Steve (Smith) up the top and we've had a chance to do that now," stand-in head coach Andre Borovec said after the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.

"We've been extremely happy with the intent that he's shown with the bat, (I) couldn't fault it actually."

Having lost the first two games, Australia are facing a must-win situation to stay alive in the five-match T20I series against India.

Raipur and Bengaluru will host the fourth and fifth T20Is on December 1 and December 3, respectively.

Australia's T20I Squad: Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott (withdrawn), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Chris Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (withdrawn), Glenn Maxwell (withdrawn), Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith (withdrawn), Marcus Stoinis (withdrawn), Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa (withdrawn)

(cricket.com.au inputs)