India vs Australia 2023, 1st T20I: Australia's strongest predicted playing XI against India

After the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, India and Australia will lock horns in a five-match T20I series from Thursday, November 23 at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. Both teams have rested most of their main players for the T20I series after an arduous World Cup campaign. India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav while Australia will be led by Matthew Wade. Having won their sixth World Cup title, Australia will be eager to add another trophy to their cabinet by winning the next T20 World Cup in 2024. Hence, they will look to start their preparations for it by fielding a strong playing XI in the first game.

Here's Australia's Predicted XI against India:

Openers: Travis Head, Matthew Short

Travis Head had a dream World Cup where he scored 329 runs from six innings at an average of 54.83 with two hundreds and one fifty to his name. He played a magnificent hundred in the final which helped Australia clinch their sixth World Cup title. The southpaw will look to continue his incredible form in the T20I series as well.

Also Read: India vs Australia, 1st T20I Match Preview

Matthew Short has scored 86 runs from three innings at an average of 28.66 with one fifty to his name. The 28-year-old has scored 1762 runs in his T20 career and will be eager to leave his mark on international cricket in the upcoming series.

Middle Order: Steven Smith, Matthew Wade (c/wk), Tim David

Steven Smith didn’t have a memorable campaign in the World Cup as he massed 302 runs from ten innings at an average of 33.55. The star batter will look to make amends for his low returns in the upcoming series to make a strong case for his selection in the T20 World Cup next year.

Matthew Wade last played a T20I during the T20 World Cup 2022 and will be seen leading the side in the upcoming series. The wicketkeeper batter is vastly experienced with 1018 runs from 75 matches under his belt. Wade has been an integral part of the Australian T20I setup in the past few years and his experience will come in handy in the upcoming series.

Tim David has had a brilliant run in the T20Is so far having scored 805 runs from 25 innings at an average of 36.59 and a strike rate of 162.95 with six fifties to his name. The 27-year-old will look to leave his impact in the upcoming series with another breathtaking innings.

All Rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis

Glenn Maxwell had a brilliant campaign in the World Cup as he scored 400 runs from nine innings at an average of 66.66 and a strike rate of 150.37 with two hundreds. The swashbuckling batter scored the fastest hundred in the history of the tournament (40 balls) and also scored a scintillating double hundred chasing against Afghanistan. He will look to continue his form in the T20I series and hammer the inexperienced Indian bowlers.

Marcus Stoinis didn’t have a memorable campaign in the World Cup as he scored 87 runs from five innings and picked four wickets from six innings. He will look to go big in the upcoming series and help his side go 1-0 up in the series.

Bowlers: Tanveer Sangha, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa

Tanveer Sangha is a promising young wrist spinner emerging from the country. The 21-year-old has picked 47 wickets from 33 matches in his T20 career at an average of 17.31 and an economy of 7.56. Sangha will be eager to bowl on the spinner-friendly surfaces in India.

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Nathan Ellis has picked 18 wickets from eight T20Is so far at an average of 11.88 and an economy of 7.13. The right-arm seamer will be hungry to leave his mark in the upcoming series and will be eager to start strong in the first game.

Adam Zampa had an incredible campaign in the ODI World Cup as he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 23 wickets from 11 innings at an average of 22.39 and an economy of 5.36. Zampa will be eager to continue his form in the upcoming series as well.

Jason Beherendorff has picked just nine wickets from ten matches in his T20I career at an average of 23.55 and an economy of 8.15. The left-arm seamer has the ability to swing the ball both ways and will look to give his team good starts with the new ball in the series.

Australia’s predicted XI against India in the first T20I:

Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (c/wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Tanveer Sangha, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa