Team India just needs one win to turn their fortunes around. This has been a trend with the Men in Blue for a long time. In 2016, India played Australia and were trailing 4-0 in the ODIs. A century from Manish Pandey helped India win the final ODI. What followed this victory, was India whitewashing Australia in the T20I series. Fast forward to 2020, India are once again in the same position as they take on Australia at Canberra on Friday. However, with the Test series lined up after the T20 matches, India will be looking to get much needed momentum going forward.
The Men in Blue narrowly beat Australia in the third ODI. But going into the T20s, India are likely to make several changes. The team could be in a dilemma whether to leave Shubman Gill out or not. The youngster showed promise in the third ODI but with KL Rahul in the team, Virat Kohli may be forced to make the tough call. If Gill is left out, Rahul will open with Shikhar Dhawan, which leaves the middle order wide open. Pandey is likely to be the first choice for the middle order and Sanju Samson second. In the bowling department, changes could be expected. Deepak Chahar could return to the team. With two practice matches and four Test matches to come, India should look to rest Jasprit Bumrah from the T20I series so that he can be fresh and fit when the Tests begin. T Natarajan is likely to get a place in the T20 side after a decent ODI debut. His strength is bowling yorkers and will be key for India in the death overs. Kohli could be tempted to bring in Yuzvendra Chahal in place of Kuldeep Yadav.
On the other hand, Australia are likely to bring in D’Arcy Short to open with Aaron Finch. Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood will be key for Australia and a lot will be riding on these three. Adam Zampa could be the dark horse. Reason for this is since the IPL, Indian batsmen have been struggling against leg spin. If Zampa pitches the ball in the right areas, Indian batsmen could be in trouble. Australia will be hoping that Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc are fully fit to play the series.
In the ODIs, the toss is key at Canberra. Win the toss, bat first and win the match. This is what teams winning the toss here have been doing. Canberra is an excellent batting surface as shown in the last ODI between these two teams. It will be an important toss tomorrow.
