Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
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India’s much awaited tour of Australia begins at the famous Gabba in Brisbane.
In a sign of the times, it is T20 action that precedes a huge Test series, which would have been unthinkable 10-15 years ago. Nevertheless, an Australia-India game always has plenty at stake, given the rivalry between the two nations, with Australia now desperate for a change in fortunes.
In what’s been a difficult 2018, can Australia challenge and beat a strong India side?
Australia have now lost four T20Is on the bounce; a disappointing run of results after an encouraging Tri-Series win against England and New Zealand earlier this year. Much of their ODI troubles against South Africa stemmed from a T20-dominated side, which will get the chance to prove themselves against a quality India attack. Can Australia start the big series on a high and help lift the mood?
India’s quest for success in Australia begins in Brisbane, and are in superb form in white ball cricket. The Indians were always going to be too good for West Indies recently, but India’s prowess in white ball cricket has been there for everyone to see in recent years. Will India’s batting click into gear right away, backed up by their efficient bowling attack?
Key to an Australia win
Australia’s batsmen just can’t seem to get going, hellbent on moving around the crease, when keeping it simple works best. Australia’s batting strategy currently resembles confusion and a lack of confidence, stemming from a lack of understanding of how to properly approach the game. “Elite honesty” needs to be replaced WITH “elite performance”, which stems from a mindset of going out and playing hard, fair cricket.
Much depends on the batsmen in this one, with India boasting a batting line up that can light up Brisbane and make the night worthwhile for attendees for the wrong reason from an Australian perspective. Aaron Finch, after his incredible Tri-Series effort in Zimbabwe, has been short of runs recently, and Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell need to get going. Will the Aussies handle India’s pace and spin options with a good mix of power and precision to get a competitive total?
With the ball, Australia face a big test. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are magnificent white ball players, and the key for Australia will be to test India’s ability to play bounce. It could be worth attacking a little more than usual in the opening six overs, and try to catch the edge of the Indian batsmen after recently arriving to these shores after a home series against West Indies. Will the likes of Billy Stanlake, Nathan Coulter-Nile and AJ Tye get through India’s top three relatively cheaply?
Key to an India win
Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant recently hit form, albeit in a dead-rubber T20I, after a quiet limited overs campaign against West Indies for the both of them. Of course, Dhawan, along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will be of huge significance to the result, but what impact will KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have? Australia’s attack is understandably missing first choice seamers, but the Indians will need to be on their game and adjust to the bounce as quickly as possible.
On the bowling front, India are blessed with strong pace and spin options, so much so that Yuzvendra Chahal will likely miss out. Australia’s batting has had a real knack of losing wickets early in recent times, and India will be looking at those powerplay overs as a path to victory. Jasprit Bumrah continues to prove he deserves the number one title in white ball cricket, and will be looking for support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed in particular to extract the kind of impact the South Africans did over the last few weeks.
Possible teams
Australia went for an all-out seam attack in the hugely significant (not) one-off T20I against South Africa. A spinner would give the attack some variety, but Glenn Maxwell could be tasked with that role.
Australia: 1. Aaron Finch (c), 2. D’Arcy Short, 3. Chris Lynn, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Ben McDermott, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9. Andrew Tye, 10. Jason Behrendorff, 11. Billy Stanlake
India named their XII a day before the game, and it could be a shoot-out between wristspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, so Krunal Pandya’s all-round abilities can be called upon if needed.
India: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. KL Rahul, 5. Rishabh Pant (wk), 6. Dinesh Karthik, 7. Krunal Pandya, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Khaleel Ahmed, 11. Jasprit Bumrah
Dream11
Can Australia tame India’s top order? Below is my Dream11 for this clash, with a few pointers.
- Who is likelier to get more batting time? Alex Carey or Dinesh Karthik? Carey for me.
- When I think of KL Rahul starting off a tour in style, I think of England earlier this year. His T20 form was magnificent, and he makes my side, along with Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma and Chris Lynn.
- Aaron Finch was a constant let down against South Africa. I won’t take the punt on him here at his price.
- Time for Glenn Maxwell to shine. He is my VC, alongside Marcus Stoinis. Krunal Pandya is an option, but it remains to be seen how well he goes down under.
- Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed could enjoy Brisbane conditions under lights, so too Nathan Coulter-Nile who has the ability to swing the ball. AJ Tye is one to take wickets at the death.
- Jason Behrendorff is a decent option too, but beware as he could be the one left out if Australia choose a spinner.
Stats and Facts
- The last meeting between these two sides in T20Is was a 1-1 series draw in India last year. In Australia, India won 3-0 in January 2016.
- Rohit Sharma needs 65 runs to overtake New Zealand’s Martin Guptill as the all-time leading run scorer in T20Is.
- Australia have won just two of their last eight T20Is – one against Zimbabwe and the other v UAE.
Prediction
An appetiser before the huge Test series.
A game against India is one I never want to see Australia lose, but India start this game as deserved favourites. Heart says Australia as always, but India will start their tour off with a win.
In this case, I do hope I’m wrong!
Also, to get in the mood for the big tour, be sure to check out my 5 key things to watch out for over the next two months.
Thanks for reading!
