India's strongest playing XI for the T20I series vs Australia
Team India won't have much time to dwell on their disappointing defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup Final as they gear up to face the Kangaroos in a five-match T20I series. The first game will be played on November 23 in Visakhapatnam.
Of course, very few players from the World Cup squad are part of the contingent to take on the Aussies at home. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, while Prasidh Krishna and Ishan Kishan, who were also in the mix for the ICC tournament, will feature as well.
Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, will be available for selection for the last two T20Is alone.
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 strongest playing XI for the upcoming T20I series against Australia.
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Ishan Kishan is a definite option to open the batting, but the southpaw has been quite disappointing in T20I cricket. It might be in the team's best interests to give other names a go, especially ones as talented as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
While Gaikwad has been named as the vice-captain for the first three T20Is, Jaiswal was excellent in the Asian Games and already has a century to his name in the format. The duo should surely be ahead of Kishan in the pecking order.
Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh
Things get slightly tricky for India in the middle order. Should they look to squeeze Kishan in somewhere? Or should they opt to hand Jitesh Sharma a maiden international cap as the frontline wicket-keeper?
This is one that is up for debate. Jitesh had a disappointing campaign in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, making just 107 runs in six innings at an average of 21.40. But his strike rate of 150.70 was still on the higher side, and he is certainly more suited to a role in the middle order.
With Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma being locks in the XI, ideally at No. 3 and No. 4, Jitesh could experience greater success than Kishan at No. 5. The right-hander has no real weaknesses against both pace and spin, and he is definitely the more attacking option of the two.
Rinku Singh is a player who is now getting regular call-ups to the national side, and rightly so. The cult hero is blossoming into an excellent finisher, and without any clear-cut favorites for the role, the southpaw is bound to get chances.
Once Shreyas Iyer enters the fray, though, things will get tricky. If he is to play, he will need to replace one of the frontline batters, namely Tilak or Rinku. The latter is a finisher and plays a completely different role, so Tilak might be on the chopping block.
However, the 21-year-old must be persisted with, even if it's at Shreyas' expense. India are bound to play Shreyas since he's been named the vice-captain, but whether he's a better option than Tilak in the shortest format is a touch-and-go call.
Shivam Dube, whose game isn't the most well-rounded, should sit out for now.
All-rounders: Axar Patel
After missing out on the World Cup, Axar Patel has returned to the Indian squad and should be a fixture in the XI. He could play in tandem with Washington Sundar, but without any fast-bowling all-rounders in the mix, the Men in Blue should lean towards playing three specialist pacers and one wrist-spinner.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
![Prasidh Krishna [right] was added to India's World Cup squad](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/73ad4-17005110088418-1920.jpg)
Mukesh Kumar should be the one to sit out against Australia, with the other three fast bowlers having greater upside. Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh are the clear frontrunners to make up the pace attack. Ravi Bishnoi, meanwhile, should lead the spin lineup.