1st T20I: Will India be open to change in bowling line-up?

Virat Kohli (C) celebrates the dismissal of Australia's Moises Henriques with teammates during the third one-day international cricket match between Australia and India at Manuka Oval in Canberra on December 2, 2020. Picture AFP

After the third ODI, Shardul Thakur had to remind the media that he was not part of the T20 squad. Not only has Thakur played in the ODI series, he has been so active in the practice sessions that his T20 inclusion was almost taken for granted. However, the real T20 specialists are Deepak Chahar, Washington Sundar and Sanju Samson.

Such is the nature of this tour that the T20 specialists are only required for six days, but all of them have been with the squad for three weeks already. Chahar, Sundar and Samson will give the visitors a new look and offer some different options in terms of tactics and composition of the playing XI.

New options

Chahar is a new-ball specialist while Sundar is also a Powerplay expert. Given the way Australia have massacred the Indian opening bowlers throughout the ODI series, it will be a wise strategy to alter the opening bowling combination in the T20s.

T Natarajan's impressive ODI debut means he's a certain starter today. Jasprit Bumrah found his rhythm in the final ODI and is expected to play before being rested for the remainder of the T20s.

Manish Pandey should find a place in the middle-order alongside Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya. KL Rahul will open the batting, but will it be Shikhar Dhawan or Sanju Samson partnering him?

Samson opened in two matches in New Zealand, scoring eight and two respectively. The Indian team management is keen to try out youngsters in this series so it should not come as a surprise if Samson walks out to open.

Lack of lefties

One aspect not in India's favour is the lack of left-handed batsman and that is bound to help Australia when it comes to picking the right bowlers against particular batsmen.

The pitch at the Manuka Oval here is expected to be placid and a score in excess of 180 will be required for victory. The cool nights, however, could lead to dew playing a role in the last few overs, so winning the toss might not be a huge advantage as it was in the ODI series.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news