India vs Australia 2019: India's Predicted XI for the first T20I
India host Australia for 2 T20s and 5 ODIs starting from 24th February 2019. With the ICC World Cup 2019 just around the corner, this will be the last opportunity for both the teams to perfect their combinations.
While India has almost finalized its squad, Australia has struggled since the loss of David Warner and Steve Smith.
The Indian management has included most of its best players in the squad as these are going to be their final 7 matches before the WC. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested, whereas Jasprit Bumrah returns after being rested for the limited overs fixtures against Australia and New Zealand.
As its final experiment, India also has included Mayank Markande, Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul. Vijay Shankar and KL Rahul have also been included in the squad, while Dinesh Karthik has been left out.
Let us look at India's predicted XI for the 1st T20 which is set to be played on 24th February at Visakhapatnam.
Top order
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Dhawan will play a crucial role for India in the World Cup. The left-handed batsman has been in the tremendous form in T20s since the past 2 years.
However, he seems to have lost that rhythm over the last few matches. In the recently concluded T20 series against New Zealand, he could manage only 64 runs in 3 matches.
Therefore, this is a perfect opportunity for him to regain his touch, as he will be playing at home.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit will be high on confidence after becoming the world's highest scorer in T20s. He was in decent form in the recently concluded T20 series against New Zealand, where he scored 89 runs in 3 matches, including a fifty.
Rohit, along with Dhawan, will be expected to provide India with good starts against Australia as well. Fans will hope that he scores yet another 100 in T20s as these matches will be played in India, which provides him with the perfect chance to do so.
#3 Virat Kohli
After being rested for the final 3 ODIs and T20s against New Zealand, Kohli will return to lead India against the Aussies. His aggression, hunger for runs and hatred of losing will be crucial in a series where India will need to win both the matches in order to win it.
Kohli hasn't played a lot of T20 cricket lately. He did not play the T20 series against both England and New Zealand. Therefore, this will be a good opportunity for him to make a statement before the IPL.
In his captaincy role, Kohli will be assisted by Rohit Sharma. It will be a headache for him to rotate his players, as this is the final chance for him to do the same and find the perfect balance.