India aim to perfect combination against World Champions with T20 World Cup looming

After a brief hiatus of ten days, Team India returns to international cricket as a major challenge awaits the Men in Blue with the T20 World Champions all set to duke it out with the hosts in the curtain-raiser of a three-match T20I series.

In what one is labelling as the final stages of the preparation in the long run-up to the showpiece event both sides will be hoping to put up a cracker at Mohali as willow meets leather. Despite a disappointing outing in Asia Cup, India will be brimming with confidence after the momentum-shuffling dead rubber with Afghanistan, that flipped the tide in India’s favour.

Australia, on the contrary, had some stiff contest against Sri Lanka where the visitors tamed the hosts in the series finale, but with the series already clinched, the win didn’t really move hell and heaven. As we are less than ten hours away from the first battle of the two juggernauts of the cricketing world, it won’t be unwise to say that we may all be in for a crackerjack of a contest.

Venue Watch:

The surface at Mohali is traditionally a paradise for batters with even bounce and carry. The team batting second could have an added advantage, given the onset of dew.

Stats:

Virat Kohli leads the long list of run-scorers in this prolonged rivalry between the 'Roos and the Men in Blue with 718 runs in the shortest format of the game at a stunning average of 59.83 and a strike rate of 146.23.

Glenn Maxwell holds the record for the highest number of sixes in the Indo-Australian T20I rivalry with 28 sixes, while Kohli follows suit with 22.

Jasprit Bumrah leads the long line of wickets takers in this rivalry in T20Is with 15 wickets at an economy rate of 7.45.

India holds the record of the highest successful chase in this T20I rivalry as they chased down 202 with two balls to spare in 2013.

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 23

India: 13

Australia: 9

Match Details:

India vs Australia

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium

20th September

7:30 PM

Squads:

India:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia:

Aaron Finch (Captain), Steven Smith, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis