Predicted India XI for T20I series against Australia
The Indian side will be looking to set aside the disappointment of the ODI series lossAfter losing the ODI series 4-1, India will be looking to even matters in the upcoming T20I series starting on January 26. India last played a T20I series against South Africa at home and lost 2-0 against the visitors.India is languishing at 8th place in the ICC T20I Team Rankings and will be looking to move up the table as well as wipe off the 4-1 loss to Australia. Australia are second in the table, very close behind West Indies, and will be looking to seal the top spot by the end of the series.The Indian bowling was disappointing, to say the least, during the ODI series. However, there were a few positives from the bowling department, with some of the newcomers impressing.In the T20I squad announced for the three-match series starting on Tuesday, some old warhorses have been recalled and it will be interesting to see how they make use of the opportunity, if they make the final cut.Three of the players who were initially announced in the T20I squad will miss out due to injury. While Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are slightly long-term, Ajinkya Rahane's injury might rule him out of the T20I series or, at least, the first match in Adelaide.Here is the predicted XI for the upcoming T20I series against Australia:
#1 Rohit Sharma
Following an impressive showing in the ODI series, Rohit Sharma will easily be the first name on the teamsheet. Rohit scored 441 runs in just five games, consistently performing at the top of the order, and giving India a positive start.
Seeing that Rohit is enjoying playing Down Under, it can be concluded that he will take on the Australian bowling attack with no fear. India will need the 28-year-old to fire at the start of the innings.
Since the start of 2014, Rohit has played 8 T20I matches and scored 328 runs at an average of just under 47 and at a strike rate of 130.15, which are very good in the shortest format of the game. With a lot of experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) too, Rohit will be one of the major threats for Australia in the three-match series.