IND VS AUS 1st T20I: India takes on the World Champions Australia at their home in a 3-match T20I series in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Both teams are playing with their full potential squad that has the capability of winning their team matches. It is going to be a neck-to-neck competition that serves the greater purpose of keeping them ready for the high-intensity competition on the world stage.
Team India had a faulty Asia Cup 2022 which was supposed to set the winning momentum for the World Cup followed by intense competition with Australia, and South Africa, and then rest till the mega tournament. Though the momentum was not as initiated in the Asia Cup, the team would like to set vigor.
Australia on the other hand hasn’t played a single T20I since their last tour to Srilanka in June. The team has played enough One Day Internationals but they would like to get started with the preparations for the World Cup. Their opponent is India which is number one in ICC T20I Team Rankings. It serves the best purpose.
Virat Kohli’s return to form in India’s most recent Asia Cup game when he scored 122 runs at a strike rate of 200 and reached his 71st international century, indicates that the team’s batting has advanced considerably. To be prepared for the T20 World Cup, openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will need to start scoring heavily right away. Since 2022, Suryakumar Yadav has scored 567 runs in 17 innings for Team India, with a phenomenal strike rate of 182.31. It is time he starts showing consistency in his form and should lock himself as an established middle batter.
After a protracted rehabilitation from their individual injuries, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are now officially back on the team. They will join Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has taken the most wickets for India this year with 31 in 21 innings at an economy rate of 6.63, in the pace attack. How they together form the pace attack in the upcoming series and their tuning together will decide India’s chances of winning the cup as the tournament is in Australia and most pitches favor fast bowlers.
Australia’s captain Aaron Finch, the current World T20 Champions, has been the team’s top scorer in T20ls this season. Although, none of the other players than him have amassed more than 200 runs. However, the team has T20 specialist batters such as Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Josh Inglis, and Matthew Wade, who are as deadly as they come when they get going and would like to set a standard for themselves playing against India.
Team India has a very strong batting and bowling lineup. If we look at the stats, there is no lack of experience nor does it show inconsistency. When it comes to bilateral trophies, India has won all of them this year, but for some reason, they haven’t been able to make a mark in the ICC trophies. Their preparation should head in that direction only.
Australia though will miss Starc, Stoinis, and Marsh in their practice against the biggest team, but they will also enjoy the secrecy of their weapons in them. When we see them next in the field, we should expect even more action. But for now, their focus will be on getting on with the T20 format and there is no better opponent than India to test their team.
IND VS AUS 1st T20I: How India vs Australia T20I Series Prepares Both Teams for World Cup 2022
