India v Australia one-day international washed out

India v Australia one-day international washed out

First one-day international, Kochi:
India v Australia - abandoned without a ball bowled
The first India v Australia one-dayer was abandoned
Supporters in Kochi are given the news that no play will be possible

Persistent rain forced the first one-day international between India and Australia in Kochi to be abandoned without a ball bowled on Sunday.

Heavy rain on Saturday had left puddles on the outfield at the Nehru Stadium.

And more rain on Sunday morning led the umpires to call the game off just under two hours after the scheduled start.

The second game of the three-match one-day series takes place in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, with the final match in Margao next Sunday.

Both sides have rested senior players for the ODIs after India won the two-Test series 2-0.

India are hoping to try out uncapped Shikhar Dhawan and Saurabh Tiwary, both free-scoring batsmen at domestic level and team-mates for Mumbai Indians during last month's Champions League T20 competition.

Australia also have two new faces in their squad in left-arm pace bowler Mitchell Starc and all-rounder James Hastings.

And batsman Callum Ferguson is set to make his international comeback after reconstructive surgery on his right knee, 17 months on from his last appearance.

Having slipped to fifth in the Test rankings, Australia are keen to bolster their position at the top of the one-day list, as well as gaining valuable preparation for the World Cup, which will be jointly staged by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February to April next year.

But they will be without Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, who are all being rested ahead of the forthcoming Ashes Test series against England.