AUS vs IND: India’s probable playing XI for the T20I series

After conceding the ODI series to Australia, India will be moving on to play the T20 International series against them. Last time around when the Indian team travelled down under and played a T20I series, that is on the 2018-19 tour, the series ended in a draw, with Australia and India winning one game apiece.

But, this time around, led by one of the best batters in world cricket at the moment and an equally potent captain, Virat Kohli, the Men in Blue will be eyeing a series win. The squad that has been picked to travel to Australia is full of match-winners, and it would depend on Virat and the team management to pick and choose the best combination possible. Here is a look at the possible playing XI for the series.

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul)

If team India’s management would have wished for a miracle to happen before the start of the tour to Australia, it would have been to have the openers in form. And, thankfully, both individuals Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been in great form with the bat of late. Shikhar and Rahul like the ball coming on to the bat and they would get plenty of it in Australia.

Both these players held the top spots in the list of the run-scorers of the Indian Premier League and thrashed any bowler who came their way for the entirety of the tournament. KL Rahul held the top spot in the list with 670 runs to his name while Shikhar followed him with 618 runs. Both these batsmen will look to stay on the crease for the longest time possible during the matches and churn out a good number of runs in the first power-play too.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer)

The middle order of the Indian team also looks strong as it has all the bases covered for converting the starts provided by the openers. Almost all of the players were in good form in the IPL and have made their mark against the Australian bowlers in the past. So, they will want to replicate their best past performances to help their team get to good totals during matches.

The form of Manish Pandey can be a bit of a concern as he has had the tendency to sag off during international games. But given the fact that the match is in Australia, where he has had a record of doing well and is coming off a great IPL season, it should not be a cause of worry for the Indian team.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja)

Player of the Match was Hardik Pandya, who scored 90+ for the second time in the series, this time off only 76 balls #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/5EtuXScxVP

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 2, 2020

The all-rounders of the Indian team are one link in the side that would kind of worry the side both in the One Day International matches and the T20Is. The two players included in the team, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja did have a decent IPL season with the bat but, their bowling lacked the edge that they would ideally want. This pair will have a lot of responsibility resting on their shoulders and they would have to put all of their past experience to work in order to get back up and running while playing for the Indian team.

Bowlers (Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah)

In the last few years, the Indian bowling attack has become a really strong point of the national team. Composing of some of the best craftsmen with the ball, this will be one aspect of the team that would be of the least worry to Virat Kohli, the captain of the side.

Both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami showed what they were capable of doing with the ball during the IPL and Deepak Chahar also proved his mettle to be included into the side. Yuzvendra Chahal will find himself hunting for any help from the pitch. And, knowing of what he is capable of doing, especially in T20 cricket, he will for sure dig out some valuable wickets by showing the grit that he is known for.