IND vs AUS, 1st T20I: India Opt to Bowl as Both Teams Rest Key Players; Check Playing XIs

Visakhapatnam: India and Australia have opted to rest several key players for the upcoming T20 series beginning in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian squad, comprising only three players from the team that lost the recent World Cup final. Yadav, a middle-order batter, will captain the side for the first time, with Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain for the last two T20s.

David Warner, Australia’s veteran opener and top scorer in the World Cup, has withdrawn from the series, with all-rounder Aaron Hardie replacing him. Seven members of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad, including Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Steve Smith, will remain for the series.

The T20 series will be held in Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Bengaluru, and Raipur from November 23 to December 3. Warner’s withdrawal is attributed to the selectors’ decision, considering his successful yet demanding World Cup campaign. India, despite entering the World Cup final as favourites, suffered a defeat against Australia, who outplayed them with a six-wicket victory in Ahmedabad.

The head-to-head record in T20 internationals between India and Australia stands at 15 wins for India and 10 for Australia out of 25 matches. India won their last bilateral T20 series against Australia with a 2-1 scoreline in September 2022.

Playing XIs

Australia: Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w/c), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna