India's predicted playing XI for the 3rd T20I vs Australia
Team India will look to put the five-match series against Australia to bed when they lock horns with the visitors in the second T20I on Tuesday, November 28 in Guwahati.
Suryakumar Yadav's stunning knock powered the Men in Blue to a thrilling victory in the opening encounter in Visakhapatnam before a more one-sided contest ensued in Thiruvananthapuram. India might want to limit the number of changes they make while the series is still up in the air.
India’s squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (for last two T20Is).
Here is India's predicted playing XI for the third T20I against Australia.
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal
After a slightly indifferent start in the first T20I, due to contrasting reasons, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal came together well in the second encounter. Jaiswal was the principal contributor to the team's charge as he notched up a half-century in the powerplay, while Gaikwad was more circumspect and meandered along through nearly the entire innings.
Gaikwad will want to up the ante in Guwahati. Jaiswal, on the other hand, will want to keep his obvious form going.
Middle Order: Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh
India are unlikely to make any changes in the middle order, with their batters clicking fairly well together.
Ishan Kishan has reeled off successive half-centuries, while Suryakumar Yadav has consistently proven why he is the #1-ranked T20I batter in the world. Tilak Varma has looked a touch out of place at No. 5, but the youngster is bound to find his bearings soon.
Rinku Singh, meanwhile, averages over 100 and strikes at over 200 in his short T20I career so far. He has made important contributions in both games of the series. Shivam Dube will probably continue to remain on the bench for now.
All-rounder: Axar Patel
Axar Patel has been impressive with the ball so far. The left-arm spinner's bowling form was a concern coming into the series, but he has been able to keep things tight while troubling the batters on both edges. He will want to make a sizable contribution in both departments on Tuesday.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna
With the pacers, particularly Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, misfiring, India might be tempted to bring Avesh Khan into the playing XI. However, they might want to give the incumbent pacers another run out before making changes in the last two T20Is.
So, Prasidh and Arshdeep could continue to feature, with time running out for them to find their rhythm. They could take a leaf out of the book of Mukesh Kumar, who has been impressive with his yorkers and cutters.
Ravi Bishnoi brushed aside an expensive outing in the series opener with a three-wicket haul in the second T20I and will continue to be the lead spinner, keeping Washington Sundar out.