India finally salvaged some pride in the fifth and final ODI of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday. That win has given this Indian side a boost ahead of the three-match T20 series that starts from 26 January, Tuesday.
The T20 side will get a makeover as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Suresh Raina and some other exciting and talented players will add to the squad against Australia.
India were completely outplayed in the ODI series by Australia yet again, and with the ICC World T20 2016 on the horizon, MS Dhoni & Co will look to make a winning start to the upcoming T20 season.
Suresh Raina, who was dropped from the ODI squads, will mark his return in the T20 squad. The swashbuckling left-handed middle-order batsman said a couple of days ago he wants India to whitewash Australia in the upcoming T20 series.
MS Dhoni could not get his team combination right during the ODI series, and that hurt India pretty badly. The batsmen, on the other hand, did everything right with the bat as there was very little margin of error apart from the fourth ODI, where the Indian batting lineup collapsed like a house of cards.
The bowling needs to be addressed by the skipper and team director Ravi Shastri. They have roped in veterans like Harbhajan and Nehra, who will add a lot of depth to the India T20 squad against Australia. Youngster Jasprit Bumrah, who came in handy with his spell in the death overs in the final ODI on Saturday, will be crucial during the T20 series. His unorthodox bowling action can cause some serious problems for Aussie batsmen.
The very presence of Yuvraj in the lineup might give Australia some jitters as they have hardly any fond memories against the destructive left-handed batsman.
Meanwhile, Australia have a pretty strong lineup for the T20 series as well. The likes of Chris Lynn, Travis Head, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steve Smith and skipper Aaron Finch will give the Indian bowlers some major causes of concerns. Lynn was adjudged the player of the tournament in the most recent edition of the KFC Big Bash League (BBL) for his incredible run of form with the blade.
Shaun Tait, Andrew Tye and John Hastings have impressed in the current season of the BBL with the ball. We have already watched Hastings troubling Indian batsmen during the ODI series. Nathan Lyon will add to the spin department of the Aussies.
While India have a number of T20 international matches ahead of them, the Men in Blue will look to kick-start the T20 season with a bang against Australia Down Under.
India vs Australia T20 series: Complete Schedule
India vs Australia 1st T20:
Venue: The Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.
Date: 26 January, Tuesday.
Timing: 1:10 pm IST, 7:40 am GMT, 6:10 pm local time.
India vs Australia 2nd T20:
Venue: The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne.
Date: 29 January, Friday.
Timing: 2:10 pm IST, 7:40 am GMT, 7:40 pm local time.
India vs Australia 3rd T20:
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney.
Date: 31 January, Sunday.
Timing: 2:10 pm IST, 7:40 am GMT, 7:40 pm local time.
TV listings: Star Sports 1/HD1, Star Sports 3/HD 3 (India), Sky Sports 1/ HD1(UK), Channel Nine Network (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Willow TV (US).
