India
Australia
It has been less than 72 hours since that heart-wrenching loss for Indian fans against the mighty Australians in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup final 2023, but here we are, previewing another India-Australia match, this time a T20 international.
Such is life, though; agony for one and ecstasy for another do not change the fact that everyone needs to move on. The first T20I match of the five-match series will be played in Visakhapatnam. The top bookmakers in India will have amazing odds with them.
Because we are at the end of 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner, this series holds a lot of context in terms of the future. The Indian selectors have given a chance to all the youngsters to showcase their ability and make their case strong for the World Cup squad.
Apart from their pace attack, there won’t be any new faces in the Australian dugout for this particular series.
In his final match of the World Cup, Head scored a match-winning century and is in excellent form.
The betting tip is...
Travis Head to score 42.5+ runs
64 %
36 %
IndiaAustraliaSuryakumar Yadav is all set to be India’s captain for this series, as all the senior players and the majority of the World Cup players have been rested.
The squad consists mostly of the players who recently won India a gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal are most likely to be the openers, with Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and one of Shivam Dube or Jitesh Sharma to follow.
Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi are going to be the two spinners, and Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, and Prasidh Krishna are going to be the fast bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Ishan Kishan (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Mukesh Kumar
The Kangaroos will be playing with a new captain for this series, Matthew Wade. The majority of the rest of the squad is the same, with a few youngsters getting chances, such as Sean Abbott, Matthew Short, Tanveer Sangha, and Spencer Johnson.
The Aussie batting lineup will include Travis Head, David Warner, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, and Steve Smith.
Adam Zampa is most likely going to be the spinner, with Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, and Jason Behrendorff being the pacers.
Predicted Lineup: Travis Head, David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (c, wk), Tim David, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, and Jason Behrendorff
The Aussie squad is packing more experience, riding high on World Cup dreams, but let's not underestimate this young Indian bunch – their talent level is off the charts, giving any global team a run for their money.
Brace yourselves for a nail-biting contest; it's expected to be a high-scoring showdown with both teams eyeing a chase, factoring in the dew.
One thing to note is the surplus of left-handers in the Indian batting lineup, turning the spotlight on Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell's bowling roles. It's gearing up to be a good showdown, and our bet is on Australia to clinch the victory in this anticipated clash.
