India vs Australia, 1st T20I: Preview and Predicted Playing XI
The opening fixture of India tour of Australia is set to get underway on November 21, when both these two sides face off in the first T20I at The Gabba in Brisbane. Both teams have played 15 T20 internationals against each other, with Men in Blue outclassing the Aussies 10-5.
Meanwhile, in their most recent clash back in October 2017, Australia emerged victorious by eight wickets. Electing to field first, the Aussies bowled the Blues out for sub-par 118 before doing short work of their target as they cantered home with 4.3 overs to spare.
India
India have shown incredible form in the shortest format this year, winning 13 out of the 16 matches they have played so far. While they are coming off a 3-0 whitewash against Carribeans. After their thumping wins against Windies, they will begin as favourites.
Batting
India's top order is currently at its best, and the comeback of skipper Virat Kohli will certainly boost their prospects even further. Shikhar Dhawan is India's leading run-scorer this year with 572 runs followed by Rohit Sharma on 560 runs. Both these batsmen will once again hold the key and are expected to get the team off to a flier.
Apart from these two, KL Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli will be their rock in the middle in case of early hiccups. Both have the ability to destroy any bowling attack in the world and will be eager to make a mark on their comeback.
Bowling
Kuldeep Yadav was their leading wickets taker in T20I series against Windies, and the spinner will be expected to replicate his performance against the Aussies. While Yuzvendra Chahal will look to exploit the Australian batsmen in the middle overs.
While Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been India's spearheads in pace attack and will be backed by skipper Kohli to dent Australia's innings with a few early blows.
Expected Playing XI
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Australia
Australians are going through their worst run in the shortest format, having played 16 T20I this year, they managed 9 wins and 7 defeats. Their most recent T20I encounter came last week against South Africa at Carrara which they lost by 21 runs. Prior to that, Australia suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the UAE.
Batting
In this department, Aussies will bank on the likes of skipper Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell. Finch has scored most runs for them this year but is currently going through the sloppy run and he will be eager to rectify his poor outings against Pakistan and Africa. While Glenn Maxwell proved his worth against South Africa and he will be a danger man in the middle order and can be a massive headache for Indian bowlers if not dismissed early. While they will also have a lot of hopes on Chris Lynn and D'Arcy Short to put their best and play crucial knocks to take team towards a decent total.
Bowling
Andrew Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile picked two wickets each in the one-off fixture against Proteas and these two will be the biggest threats in this Australian bowling attack. While they will also need Marcus Stoinis, who is one of their best pacers in recent times. The team will have a lot of expectations on him to rattle the Indian top order early on.
Expected Playing XI
Aaron Finch (C), Chris Lynn, D'Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa and Billy Stanlake.