Selectors will announce a squad for next month’s multi-format tour of India on Tuesday, less than a week after Lanning’s shock retirement call.
It’s unlikely a captain will be named until closer to Australia’s December 13 departure, with a decision still needing to be made and approved by the Cricket Australia board.
“There’s quite a few things to weigh up around it,” Nitschke told AAP. “It’s just a matter of going through the process.
“Sitting down with the selectors and people who make those decisions and working out what’s the best thing moving forward.”
Nitschke knew when she took over as coach last year she would oversee a significant period of transition in the all-conquering women’s team.
“We always knew that the transition is coming, but it probably hasn’t played out how you might have guessed,” Nitschke said. “Rach we knew was probably coming at some point.
“But I probably didn’t expect to be at this point and having Meg retire. We’ll certainly miss her. Even though she obviously hasn’t been around the group for a little while now. I’d always thought she would return. We’ll miss her presence and leadership and all the rest of it.”
Australia’s first assignment in the post-Lanning era is a tricky one in India. The team wants to shift its mindset in the three T20Is and ODIs with a more attacking approach, while the December 21 Test will be Australia’s first in the country since 1984.
The fact Australia regularly plays three spinners, including allrounder Ashleigh Gardner, means Nitschke believes the squad always resembles one that suits Indian conditions.
But the biggest challenge will come in foreign conditions with the bat in the Test match, particularly with Lanning not there. Australia will keep a close eye on England’s Test in Mumbai against India next month, and Nitschke is hopeful a warm-up match can be organised.
“If it starts to turn, particularly in the second innings, it could present some conditions that we haven’t faced for a while,” Nitchscke said. “That’s something that most of the players wouldn’t have experienced before. We’re going to have to talk about and adjust to pretty quickly.”
