Justin Langer backs new assistant coach Andrew McDonald to thrive in charge of Australia ODI side

Having joined Langer's staff in October, McDonald will lead the team through a three-match tour of India later this month

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Justin Langer is confident the Australian ODI side will be in good hands while he skips a three-match ODI tour of India.

Newly appointed assistant coach Andrew McDonald will instead lead the men's team later this month for their first games in the format since July's World Cup semi-final defeat to England at Edgbaston.

McDonald, who made four Test appearances for Australia in the summer of 2008-09, continued playing until 2016 but has enjoyed coaching stints at Leicestershire, Victoria and Melbourne Renegades over the last five years, and he is set to combine his national duties with short-form roles at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Birmingham Phoenix later this year.

Though the upcoming tour will be McDonald's first overseeing an international side, Langer has told media that he is the right man for the job.

"He's got great credentials and he'll keep growing," Langer said.

"There's different things that happen along the way [to becoming an elite coach] and a big part of my apprenticeship was getting the opportunity to coach in the West Indies from [predecessor Darren Lehmann].

"We're not reinventing the wheel. He's got a really good opportunity, and I'm so confident in our coaching staff now on the cricket side of things.

"He's an excellent coach, and we’ve got other excellent coaches to back him up. I've said I won't ring him – I'll let him go.

"A lot of the time now, I think about cricket about 30 per cent of the time and the rest is all the bigger picture and cultural stuff. 

"We've got good senior coaches, good senior players and continuity in the team. I'm sure for three one-dayers it'll go really well."

^{Langer is rested after coaching Australia through an undefeated home Test summer against Pakistan and New Zealand}

Langer's break follows 20 months as head coach following Darren Lehmann's resignation after the ball-tampering scandal of the team's South Africa tour.

In that time, Australia have played 71 full international matches in five countries, with Aaron Finch the busiest player having appeared in 58 of those fixtures.

The tour, which begins in Mumbai on January 14, will see Finch leading a 14-man squad as he is reunited with McDonald after their championship campaign in last year's Big Bash League at the Melbourne Renegades.

Marnus Labuschagne is the most notable addition to the squad after finishing 2019 as the world's leading run-scorer in Test cricket, while D'Arcy Short and Ashton Turner will hope to push their cases for October's T20 World Cup after earning recalls to the ODI setup.