India are set to play Australia in the shortest format of the game, after winning the ODI series by a margin of 4-1 and becoming the number one ODI team in the world.
Ranchi’s JSCA stadium will host the first game of the three-match T20I series, which begins on Saturday (7th October). The visitors’ hope of ending their tour on a winning note was hampered, as the news from Australian camp came that their captain is currently facing an injury.
Steven Smith suffered a minor shoulder injury while practicing in Ranchi ahead of the first match on Thursday. The 28-year-old was soon taken to a nearby hospital and even went through MRI scan but the Australian team management was greeted with a good news, as the doctors cleared Smith for the first game.
India team news: India have recalled their veteran fast-bowler Ashish Nehra for the short format while opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is back as well after he missed the recently concluded five-match ODI series, as he was with his ailing wife. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik too got a call-up after being dropped from the One-Day team.
Australia team news: Apart from skipper suffering an injury scare, the team will once again look to their openers- Aaron Finch and David Warner, to give them a platform upfront from where they can take the game away from the hosts like they managed to do in Bengaluru.
India Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra.
Australia Squad: Steven Smith (C), David Warner (VC), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.