India vs Australia, 1st T20I Match Preview

After failing to clinch the ODI World Cup, team India is back in action as they are set to play a five-match T20I series against Australia, starting November 23 in Visakhapatnam. The majority of the senior players in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami among a few others have been given rest, while Hardik Pandya is yet to recover from his ankle injury.

Australia too have given rest to some of the key players after a hectic World Cup. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, David Warner and a few others have been given rest as Travis Head will be leading the team. Interestingly, Steven Smith has been named in the squad as he is likely to play at number three. With a couple of home Test series against West Indies and Pakistan, the legendary batter was expected to take a break but that hasn’t been the case.

Meanwhile, both set of teams have a lot of youngsters in the mix, who don’t get enough opportunities to play international cricket. For players like Tanveer Sangha, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson, this is a brilliant opportunity to exhibit their potential as the IPL auction is just a couple of weeks away. Last year, Cameron Green proved himself against India and he managed to become one of the most expensive cricketers in the history of franchise cricket.

When it comes to India, players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Ravi Bishnoi will be closely monitored. When the senior cricketers return, there will be a shortage of places in the playing XI and hence, this is the perfect opportunity to prove themselves and get ready ahead of the tour to South Africa.

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The surface at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam is likely to favour the batting unit but spinners may come into effect towards the second half. Batting first will be ideal and anything over 165 will be a good total on this pitch.

IND vs AUS Probable Playing XI, Australia Tour of India

India (IND):

Most of the players who featured in the Asian Games will be part of the playing XI. Senior cricketers in the form of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will have a lot of responsibility while Axar Patel is expected to make his return after being ruled out of the ODI World Cup following an injury.

Predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan

Australia (AUS):

Travis Head is likely to open alongside Matthew Short while Maxwell, Wade, Stoinis and Tim David in the middle order can prove to be extremely dangerous for the Men in Blue.

Predicted XI: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (c/wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa

IND vs AUS T20Is Head-to-Head Records: