Australia vs India, 2020: 1st T20I, Canberra – India Predicted XI

After the three-match ODI series, the caravan of the India tour of Australia moves to its T20I leg with the first of three 20-over fixtures set to take place at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

After a tough two games, Team India found their mojo in the dead-rubber to achieve a consolation win. And, Virat Kohli’s men will now look to take confidence in the T20I series.

Unlike the ODIs, Team India has had a pretty good year as far as T20I is concerned. They have won seven of the eight T20Is that they played them this year- two of them in a Super Over- while the other game ended in a no-result. They whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in their bilateral rubber and haven’t lost a T20I series since losing to Australia 0-2 at home in early 2019.

India’s squad is quite similar to the one they had in the ODIs, with Sanju Samson, Deepak Chahar, and Washington Sundar the only additions.

On that note, here’s a look at India’s predicted XI for the 1st T20I:

KL Rahul [WK]

Unlike the ODIs, KL Rahul will slot in at his favorite position at the top of the order.

Rahul had a brilliant IPL 2020 campaign where he ended up as the highest run-getter- 670 runs in 14 games at an average of 55.83.

However, the contrasting feature in Rahul’s exploits was an alarming dip in his strike-rate- from 158.41 in 2018 to 129.34 this season.

Team India will hope that Rahul continues his good form in T20 cricket. They would, however, hope that he shows a bit more intent than he showed in the IPL.

Shikhar Dhawan

The standout Indian batsman in IPL 2020 was hands-down Shikhar Dhawan.

In the past, Dhawan has garnered a lot of criticism for slowing down after the first powerplay, a facet of his game that he substantially improved on during his stint with the Delhi Capitals as he stroked two hundred at a healthy strike-rate.

Dhawan looked good in the ODI series but was guilty of throwing his wicket away after getting a start, something Team India will hope, it isn’t the case in the T20Is.

Virat Kohli (C)

Virat Kohli might have scored 450 runs in IPL 2020 but it is fair to say that the King looked quite patchy throughout the campaign.

Kohli showed signs of regaining his touch in the ODI series in which he smashed consecutive half-centuries.

Kohli’s record in T20Is against Australia Down Under is incredible. He is India’s leading run-scorer, having smashed 317 in 7 innings at an average of 79.25 and a strike-rate of 145.41 with four 50+ scores.

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer had a forgettable ODI series in which he was constantly targeted by short+pitch stuff.

Iyer, however, got a start in two of the three innings that he played but on both occasions, the Indian No.4 squandered the initial hard work courtesy of a loose stroke.

Iyer is coming off a brilliant IPL campaign where he stroked more than 500 runs for his franchise Delhi Capitals and with the likes of Sanju Samson breathing down his neck, the right-hander will look to make the most of his chance in the first T20I.

Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey has made the most of the limited opportunities he has got in T20I cricket in the past 12-15 months.

Batting predominantly down the order, Pandey has scored 169 runs in 9 innings at a strike-rate of 145.68 with one 50+ score. Pandey should start ahead of Sanju Samson in the playing 11.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was in red-hot form throughout the ODI series, emerging as India’s highest run-getter.

Pandya successfully carried his form of the IPL in ODI cricket and Team India will hope that a genuine power-hitter like him, once again displays his precocious talent in the upcoming rubber.

Ravindra Jadeja

He might not be taking the number of wickets that he would like in the recent past, but it is fair to say that Ravindra Jadeja is at the height of his powers as far as his power-hitting is concerned.

Jadeja displayed that to the hilt in the IPL where he played numerous cameos at the death and also in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia. He and Hardik Pandya will be India’s best bet as far as ramping up the scoring rate between overs 16-20 is concerned.

Deepak Chahar

One of the things that India missed during the ODI series was wickets in the powerplay.

And, Deepak Chahar could well prove to fill that void. Chahar, a genuine swing bowler and someone who can be equally effective in the middle-overs due to his bag of tricks, is India’s leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket since August 2019.

In 9 matches, Chahar has claimed 16 wickets at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 6.53.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal will be looking to shrug off the horror ODI campaign where he was taken to the cleaners by the Australian batsmen

Chahal is coming off a brilliant IPL campaign and he’ll be India’s trump card in the middle-overs. He would also be hoping to improve on his T20I figures of the recent past.

Since August 2019, Chahal has managed just 9 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 40.77 and an economy rate of 8.73.

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami should slot in back into the playing 11 after resting in the final ODI.

Shami was the spearhead of the Kings XI Punjab attack in IPL 2020 where he not only picked wickets in the powerplay but he also nailed yorkers at the backend.

Jasprit Bumrah

After looking in patchy form in the first two ODIs, Jasprit Bumrah was back to his best at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Bumrah not only troubled the Australia batsmen by getting the ball to move off the deck, he also dealt a killer blow to the hosts courtesy of a pinpoint yorker to Glenn Maxwell at the death.

Unlike ODI cricket, Bumrah has been in brilliant form in the shortest format and is coming off a stellar IPL campaign where he claimed 27 wickets in 14 games. As far as his T20I numbers are concerned, Bumrah has 8 wickets to his name in his last 7 innings at an average of 20.75 and an economy rate of 6.38.

Also Read- Australia vs India, 2020: 1st T20I, Canberra – Australia Predicted XI