The JSCA International Stadium Complex will be the setting when India and Australia face off in the first of three T20 matches. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 12:30am (AEDT).
It’s been a tour to forget for Australia. The batting has collapsed repeatedly and a series scoreline of 4-1 for India could well have been a whitewash had the hosts not rested three of their main bowlers during the fourth ODI in Bengaluru.
And Australia will now step into a format they haven’t been known to be good at.
Six editions of the World T20 since the first one in 2007 and Australia are yet to win one. More vitally, they haven’t even reached the semi-final of the 2014 and 2016 tournaments.
In fact since the end of the 2015 World Cup, Australia have played 16 T20I’s and lost nine of them – including a 3-0 loss to India back home in the 2015-16 season. It’s that 3-0 loss that Australia will look at keenly to draw some inspiration.
India were 4-0 down at the hands of Australia in the ODI series that preceded those three T20Is, before winning four successive games – one ODI and three T20 Internationals – to restore some kind of parity on the tour.
Australia will look to aim at a 3-0 whitewash of the Indian side, but even before they start dreaming about that they will need to start off on a confident note and win this opener.
The good news is they have made a few changes to the squad, so many of the players who faced the ignominy of that 4-1 loss are on the flight back home. Instead, the likes of Tim Paine, Jason Behrendorff, Daniel Christian and Andrew Tye take over the reins and therein lies Australia’s chance.
Interestingly, India has resisted the temptation to change too many things around.
There’s no break for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, and even MS Dhoni will continue to wicket-keep, even though they have brought in Dinesh Karthik as a stand-in keeper.
Shikhar Dhawan joins the squad after missing out on the ODIs and he will replace Ajinkya Rahane, while the grand old man of Indian cricket Ashish Nehra is back in the squad as well.
Lokesh Rahul didn’t get a chance during the ODI’s but he can be expected to come into the XI in place of either Manish Pandey or Kedar Jadhav while India will continue to test the Aussie resolve against wrist spinners by playing both, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Follow The Roar for live coverage of the first T20 between India and Australia from 12:30am (AEDT).
Don Freo
Guest
The T20 team looks better without Smith. He takes too long to start. Shaun Marsh would be better. Simon, Dunk? Why? He never does anything apart from one innings a season. Paine is reliable and keeps the scoreboard ticking.
Brian
Guest
Maxwell, Finch, and Warner are our three best t20 players... Head is the new Mitch Marsh, just a slightly better bat. The kid has done nothing to warrant being constantly selected.
Simon
Guest
Probably swap Khawaja out for Smith at full strength. I just think Warner looks like a better limited overs captain and it'd be hard to add Smith if he wasn't. But yeah Smith at 3
maverick
Roar Rookie
@simon,Maxwell ahead of smith?
Simon
Guest
I like something like this: Warner (c) Finch Khawaja Lynn Maxwell Dunk Stoinis/Christian/Cummins Starc Zampa Behrendorff Beer With Head another batting option if we need more bowling depth
Simon
Guest
Honestly I think if Australia wants to become a T20 powerhouse we need to use the knowledge and experience of the players/coaches we have who have become specialists in the shortest form. Pick less bit part players; 5 batsmen, one keeper, an allrounder (the best bowler we have that can bat in the top 7) and 4 bowlers. Pick Michael Beer and open the bowling with him, he's brilliant. Having said that, the Dorff bowled very well tonight and I'm glad he's finally been given a chance
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Rain very nearly had the final say in the game but in the end, India are deserving winners after the way they bowled. Australia looked to have gotten to the kind of start they were after, scoring 1/49 from six overs but after that it all went downhill for them. Glenn Maxwell unleashed a frustrating dismissal, and the spinners exerted the same kind of control they have all series over the Aussies. Another collapse was triggered, another bunch of middle-order wickets were lost in a jiffy and in the absence of Marcus Stoinis or Peter Handscomb, there was no anchor. Jasprit Bumrah did well with the ball, so did Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal, with the latter ending on 2/16 from four overs. At one stage it looked like the game was never going to resume but the rain did stop and India had six overs to chase down 48. Did it with reasonable ease.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And finished it up with a four! Kohli does it easily... India have beaten Australia by nine wickets. Length ball and he lifts it over the mid-off fielder who was inside the circle to take India to a win. India lead 1-0.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another dot or two here and suddenly the pressure will be on India. The third-man has been called inside the circle, so is the mid-off fielder. But Christian drifts on to the middle and Kohli's manufactured a whipping flick over the square-leg for a couple. Three needed off four.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Just a single off the first ball of the Christian over, makes it five needed from five now.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
It's going to be Dan Christian with the final over. Can he sneak probably the best over of his career to try and push it Australia's way?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And a dot to end the over, which means India still need six to win from the final six balls. Zampa finishes with 0/6 in his one over, after that early boundary. 1/42 in 5.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Beaten. Dhawan was looking to give himself some room, move around in his crease but in the end, the cut goes missing. Second dot in a row, as he drives it to the short-cover fielder. A mistimed drive gets Dhawan a single through the diving Warner at mid-on. Six needed off seven.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Fine-leg in the circle and a very poor first ball, on the pads and flicked through that very area for a four. Shorter in length and Kohli wants to have a dart at it bit ends up inside-edging it to his pads. Bit of oohs and aahs, but just a single in the end. 7 off 10.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Change in the bowling as expected. It's Adam Zampa.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Beaten off the final ball of the over, Shikhar, which means India need 12 off 12. And it also means that Zampa and one of Henriques or Christian will need to bowl the remaining two overs. Where's that rain, Warner wonders.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
NCN goes down Kohli's pads again and gets clipped for a couple of runs before a drive down to long-off earns him a single. 12 needed from 13.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Ooh, shot, four! Short of length from NCN and Dhawan has half-pulled, half-jabbed it behind square for a four. And a mistimed pull next ball gets Dhawan a single. 15 needed from 15.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
At some point, Australia will need to bring in Adam Zampa and I would have brought him on a lot earlier. An aggressive, wicket-taking move... ...instead, Coulter-Nile gets his second and final over. Kohli pulls the first ball away for a single. 20 needed off 17.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Kohli opens the face of the bat and gets one off the final ball of the Tye over. 11 from the over. 1/27 in 3.