Langer offers World Cup lifeline

Australia coach Justin Langer has issued a lifeline to players that missed out on selection for the Qantas Tour of India, saying there’s still time for them to be considered for the World Cup later this year.

Australia named a 15-man squad for the India tour on Thursday, with Peter Siddle, Mitch Marsh and Billy Stanlake dropped and Chris Lynn and Matthew Wade among the unlucky players to miss out.

But Langer says all is not lost for those that won't travel to the subcontinent later this month - a five-match 50-over tour of the UAE against Pakistan will follow the Indian series - before Australia settle on their 15-man World Cup squad in late April.

"Whether you are on this tour or not, there is still going to be spots up for grabs," Langer said in Perth on Thursday.

"But the World Cup is going to come up sooner than you know and guys like Steve Smith and Dave Warner are obviously going to bang very hard on the door.

"So there is going to be some competition there, but that’s good as there is going to be some guys that need to stay on their toes the entire time and keep playing great cricket every time we play."

One player not at Langer's disposal for the India tour is paceman Mitchell Starc.

Starc picked up a pectoral injury during the final day's play of the second Test against Sri Lanka, but Langer knows how important the 29-year-old is for Australia's World Cup defence and remains confident the spearhead will return in time to tackle Pakistan.

"It’s almost two steps forward and one step back," Langer said of Starc.

"It (the injury) was the most bizarre thing as he didn't even feel it when he was playing.

"He just woke up the next day when he was in bed and his left pec had all blown up.

"It’s really disappointing for him as he bowled so well in that last Test match. (It’s) disappointing for us as we would have loved to have him there, but hopefully he will be right for that second leg against Pakistan."

With the World Cup rapidly approaching and an Ashes tour also on the horizon, Langer and his fellow selectors will need to juggle competing interests over the next few months.

But the coach says his selection philosophy is simple - the best players must always be chosen to represent their country.

"If you pick the best team for each game, the future usually looks after itself," Langer noted.

"That’s been my experience or understanding of Australian cricket for a long time and if we can continue to do that and are getting the results, then you will get the confidence and momentum and be forming a strong team.

"We know there are a lot of good players and there are only 15 spots for the World Cup."

Qantas tour of India

First T20: February 24, Bengaluru

Second T20: February 27, Visakhapatnam

First ODI: March 2, Hyderabad

Second ODI: March 5, Nagpur

Third ODI: March 8, Ranchi

Fourth ODI: March 10, Mohali

Fifth ODI: March 13, Delhi