Predicting 3 players who could score the most runs in India vs Australia T20I series ft. Suryakumar Yadav
The first T20I of the five-match series between India and Australia will take place at the VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
The two teams met a few days back in the ODI World Cup final. They will gear up to meet once again, albeit in a different format as they hit the road for the T20 World Cup next year in the West Indies and the USA.
India have stuck to a younger side, with most players retaining their berth from the Ireland series. All-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss out due to an injury, with Suryakumar Yadav appointed as stand-in skipper. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was part of the ODI World Cup squad, has replaced Sanju Samson.
Australia, on the other hand, have retained most players who played the Sunday's final, barring skipper Pat Cummins. Matthew Wade will lead the side, while the likes of Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott trying to stake a claim in the T20I side.
The wickets throughout the series will mostly favor batters and both teams have some quality players who will tempted to make the most out of it.
On that note, let's take a look at three players who could score the most runs in the India vs Australia T20I series.
#1 Ishan Kishan
The left-handed batter played only two games at the ODI World Cup and had to make way for Shubman Gill when he recovered from a fever. Thus, Ishan Kishan will be tempted to make the most of the upcoming five games against Australia.
He hasn't played any T20I against Australia yet and will look to set the tone from the first game. With the management building a team for the World Cup, it will be a great opportunity for him to stake a claim.
Ishan has had a difficult 2023 in the shortest format of the game, managing just 97 runs in eight matches at a dismal average of 12.12. Thus, he will also look to better his record.
#2 Steve Smith
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith had an average World Cup campaign going by his standards. The right-handed batter scored 302 runs from 10 matches, including two half-centuries.
However, the five-match T20I affair against India holds great importance to Smith, given that his place in the playing XI is not guaranteed. Thus, the senior batter will look to fire against the Men in Blue to keep his place in the side.
Given Smith's experience of playing in India and ability to play well against spin, the New South Wales batter has a good probability of scoring runs in these conditions.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav
Although he hasn't really fired in 50-over cricket, there is no doubt about Suryakumar Yadav's T20 credentials. He is currently the top-ranked batter in the world in the shortest format of the game.
How Suryakumar Yadav will handle the added responsibility of leading the side is a different question but he is expected to be among runs in these conditions.
He has had a good 2023 so far, amassing 433 runs in 10 innings at an average of 54.12 and a strike rate of over 150.