Aussies sweat it out

The Australian cricket team on Sunday sweated it out at the Cricket Club of India in their first training session ahead of the seven-match ODI series against India that will be preceded by the lone Twenty20 game at Rajkot on October 10.

The ODI rubber commences on October 13 in Pune and concludes in Bangalore on November 2.
The team, which arrived on Saturday night, had a light training session and played a game of football in their one-hour outing here.

The visiting team would have another two-day practice session at the Cricket Club of India before leaving for Rajkot for the opening T20 game and they are expected to have proper net sessions on Monday morning.

Five Australian squad members -- Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell -- were representing their IPL teams in the Champions League Twenty20 finals on Sunday night.

The team from Down Under is without regular skipper Michael Clarke and T20 captain George Bailey will lead the side in the former’s absence.

Clarke was ruled out of the tour due to a nagging back injury.