Tempers flare, umpires blunder under pressure, spectators are forced to bite their nails, and whatnot happens when India and Australia lock horns. Fasten your seatbelts for more action, as India will square off with Australia for three T20Is, four Tests, and three ODIs in their own den.
Here’s the preview of the first T20I at Brisbane on Wednesday.
Team news
Given India played Krunal Pandya as the fifth bowler against the Windies, Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to sit out. In addition to this, it gives India an extra batsman in the lower-order.
Likely playing XI for India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Kartik (wk), Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah
Barring Glenn Maxwell, none of the Australian batsmen could find their feet in the one-off T20I against South Africa. In fact, only two of eight batsmen who took the crease scored in double digits. This, however, does not mean that Australia aren’t a force to reckon with anymore. Their batting order looks incredibly strong on paper.
Likely playing XI for Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Billy Stanlake
Now that we have predicted who will the two teams play, let’s have a look at the FantasyTeam XI.
Wicketkeeper
Brisbane has a reputation of producing high-scoring games. If you are to choose a batsman while chasing a mammoth total, you’d go for an experienced campaigner. This keeps Karthik ahead of Carey.
Batsmen
Keeping both Rohit and Dhawan out of a FantasyTeam may cost us a fortune. The same is the case with Virat Kohli. The question, however, is who from the Australian batting line-up should be picked. They have explosive batsmen throughout their line-up, but their forms have been a matter of concern. Both Finch and Short have been lacklustre. So, our best picks will be Maxwell, who knows the Indian bowlers well and Lynn, who is eager to translate his talent into performance.
All-rounders
Krunal’s slow left-arm orthodox will be difficult to dispatch into the stands. Stoinis, on the other hand, has been among wickets of late. Not to forget that these two know how to score runs at crucial junctures.
Bowlers
Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker for India the last time he played Down Under. As a matter of fact, conditions do not bother skilled bowlers like him.
Kuldeep, meanwhile, has been in terrific form. His 17 wickets in a mere 6 T20Is this year has been the highlight for India.
It’s tough to choose between Tye and Coulter-Nile, but the former has a variety of deliveries to deceive the batsmen.
My FantasyTeam
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vc)
