Virat Kohli-led India may have kicked off their tour Down Under by conceding the ODI series to Australia recently, but more importantly, they are coming fresh off a 13-run win in the third ODI, a victory that must have surely boosted the team’s confidence heading to the T20I series.
With next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in mind, the three-match T20I series, starting with the first one on Friday, will once again give both the teams an opportunity to reassess their preparations.
While Australia’s previous T20I series ended in a 1-2 defeat at the hands of England in September, this will be India’s first assignment in the shortest format since early this year in January, when they thumped New Zealand 5-0 during their tour to Kiwiland.
And this time, the visitors’ T20I squad witnesses a fresh face- Left-arm pacer T Natarajan. The Tamil Nadu cricketer caught the eye of selectors in the IPL that concluded in November, where he picked 16 wickets representing Sunrisers Hyderabad.
On Wednesday, he made his international debut in the third ODI against the Aussies, finishing with two wickets after removing Marnus Labuschagne and Ashton Agar during the chase.
Natarajan’s inclusion adds more balance to the bowling lineup, with the likes of Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami and Washington Sundar.
In terms of the batting department, KL Rahul will in all probabilities revert back to the opening slot with Shikhar Dhawan, after having batted at number five in the ODIs.
Skipper Virat Kohli, too seems to have found his rhythm back after scores of 89 and 63 in the second and third one-dayers, will look to maintain that momentum heading into the shortest format. Kohli aggregated 466 runs in the IPL as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) endured another roller-coaster campaign, where they made the playoffs.
Shreyas Iyer’s presence in the middle-order adds batting solidity, while Sanju Samson will also fight for a place in the playing eleven.
Australia, on the other hand, have injury concerns. David Warner was ruled out of the remainder of the limited-overs leg after suffering a groin injury during the second ODI, while out-of-form pacer Mitchell Starc sustained a back and rib niggle that kept him out of the final one-dayer.
Left-handed batsman D ‘Arcy Short has been named as Warner’s replacement in an otherwise similar squad.
Here’s all you need to know about when and where to watch the first T20I:
When is the first T20I between Australia and India?
The first Australia vs India T20I match will be played on 4 December.
Where the first T20I between Australia and India will be played?
The first Australia vs India T20I match will be played at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
At what time will the first T20I between Australia and India start?
The first Australia vs India T20I match will start at 1.40 PM IST (7.10 PM local time). The toss will take place at 1.10 PM IST.
Where can I watch the match on television?
All the matches from the India tour of Australia will be broadcast on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 and SONY SIX.
Where can I watch the match online?
All the matches from the India tour of Australia will be shown on online platform SonyLiv. You can also follow Firstpost for live blog of the matches.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli(Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, T Natarajan.
Aaron Finch(Captain), D’Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey(wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Moises Henriques, Andrew Tye, Daniel Sams, Matthew Wade.
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