Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

AUS vs IND 1st T20I Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AUS vs IND 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Australia vs India 1st T20I Key Players | Manuka Oval Canberra Pitch Report

It’s safe to say that a year that started with teams looking to nail down their T20 plans has not gone to script. The T20 World Cup, scheduled for Australia, was the showpiece event of 2020. However, its postponement rounded off a year full of distractions, and now these two teams have to shift focus really quickly after the ODIs ended just 48 hours ago.

Teams now have more time to nail down their T20 plans. For Australia, the process was shaping up nicely, moving atop of the T20I rankings (up until two days ago) courtesy of dominant performances against Sri Lanka and Pakistan last year. Justin Langer and Aaron Finch have focused on picking stronger teams to set up for the T20 World Cup, and with the next edition now less than a year away in India, Australia will have an eye on their ideal team combination for T20Is going forward.

Also, Australia’s thrilling T20I series in England earlier this year serves as a possible advantage for the home team. However, for India, there has been no shortage of T20 cricket in their squad. In fact, many believed that so much time spent in the IPL resulted in a slow start in the ODI series, which India lost after struggling badly in the field in Sydney. However, they played well in the final ODI in Canberra, and will be looking to continue the kind of form they showed in New Zealand earlier this year, where they swept the series 5-0.

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Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Steve Smith’s IPL form wasn’t too flash, but he poses a significant threat after a wonderful ODI series (two centuries), where he won man of the series.
• In Australia’s only T20I at Manuka Oval to date, Smith produced a masterclass against Pakistan last year with 80* off 51 balls. Also, Smith’s surprise failure in the third ODI was the first time he failed to cross 50 in his five international matches at Manuka Oval.
• India skipper Virat Kohli has the most runs in AUS-IND T20Is, with a remarkable record of 584 runs at an average and strike rate of 64.88 and 147.10. Key player.
• Aaron Finch is next on the list, way behind with 405 runs (avg. 31.15, SR 137.28), such has been Kohli’s dominance. Finch is coming into this series in form, with three 50+ scores in the ODIs.
• How good was Hardik Pandya in the ODIs? The hard-hitting batsman was India’s leading run-scorer, which included a superb 92* off 76 balls on this ground two days ago.
• KL Rahul has had quite the year in T20s. He hit the most runs in India’s series in NZ earlier this year (5 inns, 224 runs, avg. 56.00, SR 144.51), and also won the IPL 2020 Orange Cap with 670 runs in 14 matches at an average of 55.83.
• Watch out for Glenn Maxwell. The all-rounder, who had a poor IPL, is coming off a superb ODI series, where he smashed 167 runs (including two fifties) at a strike rate of 194.18. Also, Maxwell has the third-most runs in AUS-IND T20Is, with 353 in 12 innings at an average of 35.30 (SR 145.86). This is courtesy of an incredible series in India in 2019, where he smashed 56 and 113*.
• Ravindra Jadeja has been in superb batting form. He struck 115 runs at an average of 57.50 in the ODIs, including 66* off 50 balls on this ground. Also, Jadeja was strong in the IPL, hitting 232 runs at an average and strike rate of 46.40 and 171.85.
• Australia will be hoping that Ashton Agar is fit after picking up a calf niggle in the third ODI. If he plays, the left-arm spinner will be key, as he has enjoyed quite the rise in T20Is in the last year (20 wickets in his last 12 T20Is).
• Jasprit Bumrah was outstanding in the recent IPL (27 wickets in 15 games), and looked to find his form in the third ODI on this ground. Overall, he has the most wickets in AUS-IND T20Is (15 in 11 matches).
• Can Adam Zampa impact this game? The leg-spinner has been superb in ODIs over the past 12 months, but will be looking to boost his T20I form. He has still taken a respectable 13 wickets in his last 11 games.
• T Natarajan enjoyed a successful ODI debut. Can the yorker specialist deliver the goods in the T20Is, if picked?
• Josh Hazlewood dismissed Virat Kohli in all three ODIs.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 20, Australia 8, India 11, N/R 1.
• Shikhar Dhawan recently struck two centuries in the IPL. His overall T20I record against Australia is steady (10 inns, 266 runs, avg. 29.55, SR 143.01). Can he build on it?
• Australia has the highest batting average in T20Is since January 2019 (39.18). India is third with 33.13.
• Only one T20I has been played at Manuka Oval to date. This was last year, where Pakistan scored 150. Australia, courtesy of Smith, chased it with ease.
• India won all five T20Is against New Zealand earlier this year. Australia, courtesy of a terrible middle order collapse in the first T20I in England, lost that series 2-1.
• India have won 13 of their last 19 T20Is since losing 2-0 to Australia in February 2019.

Possible Playing 11

Australia have injury concerns. Mitchell Starc missed the final ODI with a side/back niggle, but Aaron Finch was hopeful he would be fit for this match. Marcus Stoinis has a side problem, and Ashton Agar picked up a calf niggle in the third ODI two nights ago.

Australia: 1. Aaron Finch (c), 2. Matthew Wade, 3. Steve Smith, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Moises Henriques/Cameron Green, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Ashton Agar/Daniel Sams, 8. Sean Abbott, 9. AJ Tye/Mitchell Starc, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Josh Hazlewood

India would be best served playing KL Rahul at opener. So, a spot will open up in the middle order, which could go to either Manish Pandey or Washington Sundar.

India: 1. Shikhar Dhawan, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Shreyas Iyer, 5. Manish Pandey/Washington Sundar, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Deepak Chahar/Mohammed Shami, 9. T Natarajan, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav

Manuka Oval Canberra Pitch Report and Weather

The average run rate in the BBL at Manuka Oval is a high 8.56. This is the highest run-rate on any ground that has hosted more than one game in the competition.

Interestingly, the pitch in the third ODI had some extra bounce in it. It remains to be seen how this pitch plays, but given a history of flat T20 pitches on this ground, one can expect a nice batting surfaces.

The forecast is for a fine evening, with some light winds that could mean no dew.

More CricBlog content you may like:

• 5 memorable Australia vs India T20Is
• Twitter reactions to the great Virat Kohli reaching 12,000 runs
• Twitter reactions to a very green pitch in Hamilton for the New Zealand vs West Indies Test match

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

A cracking match in store. Australia’s injury worries could count for plenty in this game, as India look to possess a more well-balanced T20I team compared to their ODI XI. India have a good T20I record against Australia, and there is a good chance of that continuing today, particularly if their top order performs to their potential.

Thanks for reading!