Mohali:
The Australian cricket team led by Aaron Finch is playing a 3-match T20I series which is touring India.
In this case, the first T20 match between India and Australia will be staged tonight in Mohali, Punjab. In this regard, both the teams have been engaged in intensive training for the past few days.
This series will help them prepare properly as the 20-over World Cup starts next month.
Virat Kohli, who has returned to form, is expected to bat. Captain Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul will need to get off to a good start. Hopefully they will focus more on fixing the middle order this time around. The return of fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who have recovered from injury, will strengthen the bowling. If all-rounder Hardik Pandya makes an impact, it will be a boost for the team.
As for the Australian team, the team looks strong. Steven Smith, Maxwell will be intimidating in action. All-rounder Tim David’s debut has drawn attention. Hazlewood, Cummins, Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott give hope in the bowling.
All in all, there will be no shortage of excitement in the game as both the teams wrestle with equal strength. So far five T20 matches have been played at the Mohali ground where the tournament is held. Out of these, the Indian team has played 3 matches and won all of them. This includes defeating Australia by 6 wickets in the Super10 round of the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The proposed list of the two teams for the tournament is as follows:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ashwin or Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia: Aaron Finch (captain), Josh English, Steven Smith, Tim David, Cameron Green, Matthew Wade, Maxwell, Cummins, Hazlewood, Adam Zamba, Sean Abbott or Ashton Agar.
The match starts at 7.30 pm and will be telecasted live by Star Sports channels.