Gutted Zampa to reassess red-ball future after missing India tour

Adam Zampa will reassess his future in red-ball cricket after being left "flat" by his omission from the Australia Test squad to tour India next month.

Zampa had been told he was a strong chance of making the trip but the selectors opted to retain Mitchell Swepson as the legspinner after he toured Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year.

Zampa played his first first-class match in three years when he appeared for New South Wales against Victoria in early December where he claimed three wickets. However, he also believed his white-ball international record would hold him in good stead despite an underwhelming first-class return where he averages 47.90.

"I'm very disappointed. I would have loved to have been on it," Zampa said. "Don't know what's next for me now, it's two-and-a-half years until the next subcontinent tour. I thought with the way I've been going in international in particular that this was going to be my opportunity.

"I was really excited to potentially be on this tour, give it a crack. The messaging was my style of bowling might have been handy over there. Potentially last minute that was a change of mind.

"That was the messaging I got six weeks ago as well - that this was going to be a very good chance - but now that I'm not [going] I'm very flat about it and time to move on from it."

Zampa said that coach Andrew McDonald and national selector George Bailey told him his omission was one of the toughest decisions they had to make.

New South Wales have three Sheffield Shield matches Zampa could appear in after the BBL before the ODI squad will head to India for the three games in late March which follow the Tests.

After the India tour, Australia's next subcontinental Test series is a two-match visit to Sri Lanka in 2025. Zampa is not looking that far ahead and will now focus on this year's ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA. He is currently ranked fifth among ODI bowlers and seventh in T20Is.

"I've got two white-ball World Cups before that [Sri Lanka]. Don't know what's in store for me red-ball cricket-wise. Will just through this Big Bash and reconsider," he said. "I'm not going to close the door completely to red-ball cricket. Life is always about balance and I've got a family and these white-ball tours and World Cups that are coming up so I've got to try and think about what's best for my body, myself, my family."

Australia's frontline spin attack in India will feature Swepson, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar and the uncapped offspinner Todd Murphy.