Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s batting under scanner as India face Australia in the opening T20 International at Manuka Oval, Canberra, on Wednesday. Both teams enter evenly matched, having won eight of their last ten T20Is each, with India tying one and Australia losing one to rain.
While Suryakumar’s prolonged lean patch with the bat remains a concern, his captaincy record is outstanding - 23 wins in 29 matches - built on India’s fearless, attacking approach. Under his leadership, India have thrived with an aggressive batting template and an all-win bilateral series record, highlighted by an Asia Cup triumph against largely second-tier opposition.
The Australia series marks the start of India’s core preparations for the T20 World Cup next year. Although the outcomes may not heavily influence selections, these games, along with upcoming series against South Africa and New Zealand, offer crucial match practice in familiar conditions.
India’s bowling attack will again rely on Jasprit Bumrah’s precision and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin to stifle the Australian hitters. The combined 12 overs from Varun, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel could prove decisive, complemented by Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh’s new-ball spells against the explosive Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.
Australia will also be banking on Mitchell Owen, their emerging T20 star who previously featured for Punjab Kings in the IPL. Owen impressed against India in an ODI at Adelaide but will face a stiff challenge adapting to India’s spin-heavy strategy across the middle overs.
For India, a strong start led by Suryakumar - both as captain and batter - could set the tone for their World Cup buildup.
Squads:
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Tim David, Josh Inglis (w), Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav ( c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma
While Suryakumar’s prolonged lean patch with the bat remains a concern, his captaincy record is outstanding - 23 wins in 29 matches - built on India’s fearless, attacking approach. Under his leadership, India have thrived with an aggressive batting template and an all-win bilateral series record, highlighted by an Asia Cup triumph against largely second-tier opposition.
The Australia series marks the start of India’s core preparations for the T20 World Cup next year. Although the outcomes may not heavily influence selections, these games, along with upcoming series against South Africa and New Zealand, offer crucial match practice in familiar conditions.
India’s bowling attack will again rely on Jasprit Bumrah’s precision and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin to stifle the Australian hitters. The combined 12 overs from Varun, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel could prove decisive, complemented by Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh’s new-ball spells against the explosive Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.
Australia will also be banking on Mitchell Owen, their emerging T20 star who previously featured for Punjab Kings in the IPL. Owen impressed against India in an ODI at Adelaide but will face a stiff challenge adapting to India’s spin-heavy strategy across the middle overs.
For India, a strong start led by Suryakumar - both as captain and batter - could set the tone for their World Cup buildup.
HOW TO WATCH IND VS AUS FIRST T20I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA
- Match: India vs Australia, First T20I
- Date: October 29 (Wednesday)
- Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra
- Start Time: 7.15 PM AEDT/7.15 PM Local Time/8:15 AM GMT
- Channel/Streaming: Fox Cricket/Kayo Sports
Squads:
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Tim David, Josh Inglis (w), Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav ( c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma
