After concluding the 2023 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup on a high note with a victory in the final by six wickets, the Australian cricket team will be hoping to continue the momentum in the five-match T20I series against India.
The two teams are all set to play against each other in the first T20 International at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. India will be aiming for revenge in the T20I series for their loss in the final of the ODI World Cup.
It was a heartbreaking affair for the Indian team and they would be hoping to make amends in the shortest format of the game. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has picked a relatively different squad for the T20I series as most of the players have been rested.
In the absence of senior players, Suryakumar Yadav will be leading the side with Ruturaj Gaikwad serving as his deputy.
India squad: Suryakumar Yadav ©, Ruturaj Gaikwad, 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
Speaking of the Australian cricket team, they will be playing under the leadership of Matthew Wade. The Kangaroos will be riding on confidence after a stunning World Cup campaign and will be eagerly waiting to continental the winning streak, albeit in a different format on Thursday.
Australia squad: Matthew Wade ©, Matt Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa
What has happened so far?
With the T20 World Cup scheduled for next year, the five-match T20I series will play an important role for both India and Australia. The Indian team hasn’t played the shortest format of the game for a long time as they were busy preparing for the ODI World Cup 2023. Their last T20I series came against Ireland in August where they won by 2-0.
The Indian team won the first T20 International by two runs followed by a 33-run victory in the second game. The third match between the two sides was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of harsh playing conditions.
Meanwhile, the Australian team’s last T20I win came in September when they defeated South Africa by 3-0. It was an all-round performance by the side as they excelled in all formats of the game.
Head to Head Record
India has the upper hand when it comes to the shortest format of the game. The two teams have played against each other in a total of 26 T20 Internationals and India has emerged victorious in 15 games. Australia, on the other hand, has won 10 matches while one game between the two sides ended in a draw.
Key Players
Ishan Kishan (India): Ishan Kishan will be the player to watch out for in the first T20 International of the five-match series against Australia. He formed a part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2023.
Though Kishan did not get to play many games as Shubman Gill was the preferred choice to open alongside Rohit Sharma, he did get a chance to learn a lot and rub his shoulders with the greats of the game. The left-handed batter has played a total of 29 T20 Internationals for the Indian team scoring 686 runs at an average of over 24 and a strike rate of 121.
Glenn Maxwell (Australia): The Australian cricket team will be hoping for their spin all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to lead from the front in the first T20 International. He made heads turn with his exemplary performance against Afghanistan where he smacked a double century.
Glenn Maxwell is likely to be the top performer for Australia
Maxwell was also one of the top run-scorers for Australia in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup as he smacked 400 runs off nine innings at an average of over 66. Meanwhile, the power hitter’s T20I records speak for themselves as the batter has amassed 2159 runs in 90 T20 International innings at an average of over 28 and a strike rate of over 150.
Predicted XIs
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav ©, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
Australia: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Mathew Wade, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha
Prediction
The Indian cricket team would be still recovering from their loss in the final of the 2023 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup against Australia. Despite being slightly low on confidence and momentum, the team will be favorites to win the first T20 International and start the five-match series on a winning note.
The Men in Blue will have favourable playing conditions while the home crowd can also help them steer to a win. Moreover, a handful of senior players have been rested for the series and thus a young and dynamic Indian team will be taking on Kangaroos.
Having said that, the Australian cricket team can’t be taken lightly as they have shown excellent form in the recent past and winning the World Cup must have also provided them a massive boost.