Mukesh Kumar granted leave for his marriage, Deepak Chahar added as replacement in 3rd T20I versus Australia

The ongoing five-game T20I series between India and Australia has been quite favourable for the Men in Blue. After winning the first two games of the series, India has maintained a strong grip on the series and will look to put in a similar performance to clinch the five-game series.

However, ahead of the third T20I, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and announced that pacer Mukesh Kumar had requested to be released from the squad for the third T20I as he was getting married.

Furthermore, the board announced that Mukesh will join the team for the fourth T20I, and Deepak Chahar has been announced as Kumar’s replacement in the side.

“Update: Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar made a request to BCCI to be released from India’s squad ahead of the third T20I against Australia in Guwahati. Mukesh is getting married and has been granted leave for the duration of his wedding festivities.He will join the squad ahead of the 4th T20I in Raipur. Pacer Deepak Chahar has been added to India’s squad for the remainder of the series,” the BCCI tweeted.

India look to close out series following good showings

The Indian team has been putting in excellent performances in the ongoing T20I series. Winning the first T20I by two wickets, India followed it up with another brilliant showing in the second game and defeated Australia by 44 runs.

With the third clash, the Men in Blue will hope for yet another brilliant showing as they look to close out the series. The fourth and fifth T20Is of the series are scheduled for Friday, December 1, and Sunday, December 3, respectively.

With the side recently suffering a crushing defeat in the summit clash of the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023 against the Aussies, the hosts will be more motivated than ever to win the third T20I and clinch the five-game series.