Visakhapatnam: It can always be termed as the prelude before the real battle when India face Australia in the first of the two T20 games, here Sunday. There is not much importance to these games keeping in mind India’s stern test will start when the two sides face-off in the five ODI matches following the T20 series. Incidentally those will be the last of the matches India will be playing in the 50-over format before they embark on their World Cup campaign in England.
The T20 series has some statistical importance though. India won both the Test and ODI series when they toured Australia. However, the T20 series remained a 1-1 stalemate and hence the Men in Blue will certainly want to complete the unfinished job.
The good news for India is that both big guns, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, are back in the squad. The absence of both were felt when India lost the T20 series against New Zealand 1-2 which ended their streak of not losing 10 series on the trot.
With all but two places sealed for the World Cup squad, Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri will also treat these two T20 games as an extended audition for the World Cup hopefuls, who are still on the waiting list. The performances of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Vijay Shankar will be watched with keen interest.
No one more than Dinesh Karthik will be more keen to make a statement as these two games will effectively be his last chance as he has already been dropped from the ODIs against Australia.
While rookie leg-break bowler Mayank Markande is in the squad, India in all likelihood will go with the tested pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya, who have done reasonably well for the home team in recent times.
The Aaron Finch-led side may not have played T20Is since their last series against India three months back, but they are fresh from their extended Big Bash League with six players including the skipper featuring in the all-Melbourne final, February 17.
‘Player of the Tournament’ D’Arcy Short played 15 BBL games this season for Hobart Hurricanes scoring 637 runs at 53.08 average (140.61 strike rate). He was followed by competition leading wicket-taker Kane Richardson who topped the bowling aggregate with 24 wickets at 17.70 (economy rate 7.75).
Stat facts
Last five T20 games
India LWLWL
Australia LWLLL
Head-to-head India lead 11-6
Last two series drawn 1-1
Match starts: 7pm IST
Agencies