The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is gearing up for the final showdown between India and Australia. It will be the fifth T20I game on Sunday, December 3. The hosts already securing the series victory by clinching three out of the four games. The upcoming match has taken on the character of a 'dead rubber'.
In the previous clash at Raipur, India dominated, sealing a convincing win over Australia. Posting a formidable 174/9 on the board, propelled by explosive performances from Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, India set a target. Their bowling unit then delivered, restricting Australia to 154/7, securing victory by a margin of 20 runs.
Despite Australia's strong start courtesy of a 40-run partnership between openers Travis Head and Josh Philippe, the game swiftly turned as wickets tumbled after Ravi Bishnoi's breakthrough. Axar Patel's exceptional spell of three wickets for just 16 runs further compounded Australia's woes, dismissing key players like Head, Ben McDermott, and Aaron Hardie.
As India claimed an unassailable lead in the series, the final match might not carry the weight of deciding the series winner. Yet, it holds significance for Australia to salvage their pride. The visitors will aim to rally together and conclude the series on a positive note, putting their best foot forward to secure a win in this encounter.
This game provides Australia with an opportunity to regroup, reassess strategies, and showcase their prowess on the field. They will aim to depart from the series with their heads held high. India, on the other hand, might opt to test their bench strength, providing opportunities to players on the fringes to exhibit their skills and stake a claim for the future.
While the series might be decided, the clash promises a display of competitive cricket. Both sides look to leave a lasting impression. The Bengaluru fixture sets the stage for an intense showdown, where Australia, despite the series loss, will strive to sign off on a high note against a formidable Indian squad.
Probable Playing XIs
India
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Australia
Josh Philippe, Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Aaron Hardie, Tim David, Matthew Short, Matthew Wade (c & wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Chris Green, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha
Key Players
Rinku Singh: The youngster has scores of 22*, 31* , and 46 in this series, going at a mind-blowing strike-rate of 190.38. Rinku has been a very dependable player for India in the middle-order and he has been finishing games very well for them.
Travis Head: The southpaw was the Player of the Match in the semi-final and final of the ODI World Cup recently and now he has smashed 35 and 31 in the last two games, at an impressive overall strike-rate of 200. He is expected to play a big knock in this game.
Match Prediction
Australia will try their best to salvage some pride in this match. But they are missing many key players as they have been rested and that's why the Indian side is much stronger heading into this encounter. India are the clear favourites to win this match.