India to play Australia ODI series opener without Ishant, Jadeja

India will be without the services of Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for their opening tri-series game against hosts Australia on Sunday, confirmed Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The niggles being nursed by quite a few players in India's tri-series and World Cup squad have left the skipper worried and not in a position to 'push the players' with minor niggles so close to the World Cup.

"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," Dhoni, who announced a shock Test retirement recently, said.

"There are quite a few players with a bit of niggle here and there and we are monitoring their progress," the skipper added, while confirming Ishant (left knee) and Jadeja's (left shoulder) absence from the XI in Sunday's game.

India also have medium pacers Dhaval Kulkarni and Mohit Sharma in addition to the 15-man squad which will play the World Cup. The thinking is to rest any person in the World Cup squad if he needs rest.

"That's the major thinking behind them being here," Dhoni said. "At the same time we will first select players from the 15-man World Cup squad. If we feel a player needs more time, then we will look to add Mohit or Dhawal in the squad."