Run feast expected in Hyderabad’s first ever T20I as India, Australia look to seal series

India will look to bounce back from the thrashing they received in the second T20 International against Australia in the series-deciding final game in Hyderabad on Friday.

India won the first T20I with ease before being outclassed in all departments in the second. With the series tied at 1-1, the clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad has the ingredients to be a blockbuster, reported PTI.

Momentum with Australia

Despite the recent success over Australia, India captain Virat Kohli has maintained that they are a tough team to beat. With the humiliating eight-wicket win over on Tuesday, Australia go into series-decider with momentum, which was missing throughout the tour.

The Indian batsmen were sent back to the pavilion in quick succession after splendid swing bowling by Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff. Kohli was out for a rare duck, with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey also falling cheaply to Behrendorff.

India’s spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were taken to the cleaners by Moises Henriques and Travis Head, who shared a match-winning partnership of 109. However, dew proved to be a major factor with the ball not turning during the Australian innings.

Despite the hammering the spinners received, it is unlikely that Kohli will make a change and bring in Axar Patel. Similarly in the pace department, which means veteran Ashish Nehra, who is set to announce his retirement in the next series, will sit out once again.

Ending tour on a high

Australia pulled one back in the one-day series before losing 4-1. However, the manner in which they played in the second T20I game, one could feel a sense of rejuvenation in the side.

David Warner has proved his credentials in absence of regular captain Steve Smith, making optimum use of the resources at his disposal. Behrendorff made his job easier with a spectacular spell of swing bowling before Henriques rose to the occasion after being promoted to number three in the batting order. Leg spinner Adam Zampa also did his part by taking two wickets in the middle overs. While Warner has led effectively, he would surely love to be back among the runs after missing out in the first two games.

The pitch in Hyderabad in famed to be a batting paradise and fans will be expecting a run feast. Though it has been a regular venue in the IPL, it will be the first time a T20 International will be played here. There are chances of rain with the weathermen expecting the ongoing spell to last till October 20.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashish Nehra, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul and Axar Patel.

Australia: David Warner (c), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.