Australia and India meet each other in the first T20I of a five-match series, at the Manuka Oval in the capital city of Canberra on Wednesday, October 29. The hosts recently defeated India 2-1 in an ODI series, with them winning the first two matches, and India coming back strongly with a victory in the last game in Sydney. In this format of the sport, India will be without the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, since they have both retired, and this might deal them a very big blow.
Although India come here after beating Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup in September (in this format), the conditions are starkly different from what they played back in the United Arab Emirates. Here, the Indian bowlers will have to adjust their areas somewhat to get into the 'back of a length' area, whereas their batters will have to get used to the fact that the ball will hit them above their usual sweet spot. The usage of spin might also go down, which explains why Australia will most probably go with Matthew Kuhnemann only. Similarly, India will only go with Varun Chakaravarthy.
The Indians are renowned for getting off to good starts, with the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill making the most of the new ball. The former, in particular, likes to play outside the line of the ball and hit it through the line. The width he generates for himself gives him the room to free his arms and extend them in a decent arc. Australia will have to make sure that they do not feed either Sharma or Gill in their strong zones, and look to restrict them by dragging their lengths back somewhat.
Predicted Teams
AUS: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Short, Josh Philippe (wk), Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Key Players
Tim David (AUS): Lower-order batter Tim David is one of the most fearsome cricketers in the world. Known to hit most balls out of the park with ease, David can be the real dangerman for the Aussies in between overs 14 and 20. His long levers allow him to get under most deliveries quite comfortably and deposit them over the long off or long on ropes. David picks the length of each delivery quickly and forces bowlers to go into hiding with his hard-hitting shots.
Shivam Dube (IND): The Indian middle-order is significantly bolstered by the presence of Shivam Dube. The Mumbai batter does not use his feet much, but is one of the best spin-hitters currently in the world. Although he may not get to face much of spin against Australia, Dube can still tear into the hosts by virtue of his strength and power. The southpaw is known for handling pressure extremely well and can remain calm and composed on most occasions. He, too, can get under each delivery quickly and send them out of the park, just like David.
Match Prediction
Australia have an advantage over their visitors because of the depth in their side. The hosts seem to have covered all their bases and know these conditions very well. If it does not rain, the Manuka Oval is a dream to bat on and can provide very high scores. The likes of Travis Head and skipper Mitchell Marsh will look to get their team off to a good start, and the same goes for the Indian openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma. Whichever side makes good use of the power play will be in the driver's seat, but Australia have an upper hand.