SYDNEY - Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the tour of India due to a pectoral muscle injury with Kane Richardson, the leading wicket-taker in the BBL, earning a recall for the trip which includes two T20Is and five ODIs. Shaun Marsh will miss the start of the tour and his brother Mitchell has been dropped altogether.

Ashton Turner, the Western Australia and Perth Scorchers batsman, has been called up after briefly providing cover to the squad during the home series against India. D’Arcy Short has also been recalled to the ODI set-up as cover for Shaun Marsh who will join the tour after the birth of his second child and recovery from a hamstring injury picked up during the BBL, while Nathan Coulter-Nile returns.

Peter Siddle, Mitchell Marsh and Billy Stanlake have been dropped from those who were in the squad to face India last month. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who is recovering from the back stress fracture which ruled him out of the Sri Lanka Tests, Pat Cummins has been named joint vice-captain with Alex Carey after holding the same role against Sri Lanka.

“Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the Test match in Canberra,” national selector Trevor Hohns said. “This means he will be unavailable for the tour of India, but we will instead target a return to play for the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March. Kane has been in outstanding form over the summer, including his recent performances in the BBL. Kane not only has experience playing ODI cricket for Australia, but he’s also performed well for his country when given the opportunity. Nathan Coulter-Nile provides us with another quality bowling option, he brings good energy in the field and can also score runs in high-pressure situations.”

Mitchell Marsh’s omission continues a bleak season for the allrounder who also lost his Test place after the series against India. It now appears a long shot that he will make either the World Cup or the Ashes tour later this year. Siddle’s omission probably puts paid to his unexpected World Cup ambitions although could work in his favour ahead of the Ashes with the potential for a longer spell with Essex.

“Peter Siddle and Mitch Marsh are unfortunate to miss out, but our message throughout the summer remains true, with such a big schedule ahead opportunities may well present themselves,” Hohns said. Turner’s call-up comes after an impressive BBL where he has enjoyed success in the middle order with 378 runs at 34.36 and a strike-rate of 133.09. Last month he was called into the ODI squad against India when Mitchell Marsh was ill.

“Ashton has been on our radar for some time, given his performances in the shorter formats,” Hohns said. “Ashton is a smart cricketer who reads the game well and provides us with another strong batting option. He’s been in good form over the summer, and he has an opportunity to put his case forward ahead of the World Cup.”

Shaun Marsh, who has been Australia’s in-form one-day batsman over the last nine months with four centuries, is expected to be available from the third ODI and his absence provides Short a chance to stake a late World Cup bid following a prolific BBL. Carey opened against India recently but without much success, although David Warner is set to return for the World Cup.

There had been a suggestion that Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon - who were recalled for the home India series - may miss the tour to allow them the chance to play Sheffield Shield with the Dukes ball ahead of the Ashes, but both are included which shows they are central to the World Cup planning.

SQUAD: Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, D’Arcy Short (as cover for Shaun Marsh).